[meteorite-list] Smithville man almost hit by meteorite

From: Thunder Stone <stanleygregr_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Nov 2010 17:34:04 -0700
Message-ID: <SNT117-W21DD667C15A02FBFBBB646D24C0_at_phx.gbl>

Take a look

Greg S.


http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=13448872


Smithville man almost hit by meteorite


SMITHVILLE, Tenn. ? A Smithville man witnessed something only 1,000 people have ever experienced.

In August, while walking down the street in Smithville, Jimmy Duncan and his girlfriend, heard and then found a meteorite

"My girlfriend and I were walking down the street and we heard an awful whistle," he recalled.? "We looked around to see and all of a sudden, I heard a thump."

The meteorite had hit the asphalt pavement, left a hole and then bounced onto the sidewalk.

Duncan knew what it was, but had no idea how rare his experience actually was.

Of all the meteorite findings around the world, just over 1,000 cases are called "falls" or situations where people witness the meteorite hitting the earth.

"It missed me by about 10 feet," Duncan said.

He brought the meteorite to the Tennessee Department of Geological Studies where State Geologist Ron Zurawski almost confirmed what Duncan already knew.? It is a meteorite.

"It's a bit of material left over from when the solar system was formed," Zurawski explained.? "In this case, it is several billion years old, about the same age as the earth, which is four and a half billion years old."

Duncan is a self-employed painter, whose business had slowed down to the point he is struggling to make ends meet.

He plans to sell the meteorite after he figures out how much it is worth.
                                               
Received on Thu 04 Nov 2010 08:34:04 PM PDT