[meteorite-list] Meteorite found, per local press

From: R Juhl <bartraj2_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2007 08:23:35 +0800
Message-ID: <b30bccdd0702061623p461df5bcyf8a3836e5db34d89_at_mail.gmail.com>

The Belleville, Illinois local newspaper ran the below article with a
photo of the suspected meteorite over the midwest.
(http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/columnists/16632503.htm)

-------------

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a ... meteor rock?
BY WALLY SPIERS
News-Democrat
This rock was found by Nancy Rettinghouse, 60, of Fairview Heights, in
a lot near her home.
Derik Holtmann/News-Democrat
This rock was found by Nancy Rettinghouse, 60, of Fairview Heights, in
a lot near her home.

    * Earlier story: Flaming objects seen in sky

Nancy Rettinghouse had some of her family over to watch the Super Bowl
on Sunday night but she ended up watching a much brighter spectacle.

"I was sitting in my kitchen, watching the Super Bowl," she said. "Out
in the back lot I saw a big yellow flaming thing falling straight
down. I yelled and everyone asked what happened."

When she told them she thought she had seen a meteor fall into a
nearby vacant lot, no one believed her.

"They said, 'Oh, Mom, it was just a light.' But I saw what I saw,"
said Rettinghouse, 60, of Fairview Heights.

That happened about 8 p.m., she said. When they watched the television
news at 10 p.m. she heard about many reports about bright lights in
the sky from area residents. Most authorities think it was a minor
meteor shower.

"So my husband went over to look around this morning and he found this
odd rock," she said. "We'd sure like to know what it was."

The reddish rock her husband found is about 2.25 inches long by 1.5
inches wide and an inch tall. It was embedded about one-half inch in
the ground of the lot, which usually is a garden.

There are lots of meteorite identification sites on the Internet.
Several have categories labeled meteorites and meteorwrongs, catch
words for real meteorites or deceptive Earth rocks.

Perhaps the best Web site is www.meteorites.wustl.edu by Randy Korotev
of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington
University in St. Louis.

Any rock coming through the atmosphere would be melted on the outside
by the intense heat, showing signs of what they call a fusion crust.
Meteorites usually contain metals that will attract a magnet although
that is not always the case.

Their rock had neither of those things.

"I did see something fall in the lot," she said.

There appeared to be nothing else on the lot. But perspective can be a
confusing thing. The view out the kitchen window is to the west and
the last few feet of the view of the lot is obscured by a 6-foot-tall
fence which stands about 100 feet away.

"I don't want anyone to think we were drinking or something,"
Rettinghouse said. "It sure will be embarrassing if it's not real. We
just want to know."

She said they probably will take the rock to someone who is an expert
to have it identified.

-------------

Best wishes

Robert J.
Received on Tue 06 Feb 2007 07:23:35 PM PST