The Christmas Eve Meteorite ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, Not

The Christmas Eve Meteorite‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse’.However, it wouldn’t stay quiet for long as, unknown to the people relaxing below, a meteorite was about to come crashing to Earth.Go back 50 years ago and the small village of Barwell was putting the last finishing touches to their Christmas preparations. As the sun began to set, villagers were walking dogs, making dinner or, in the case of Percy England, admiring their brand new car. If any of you have ever felt like karma/god/the universe has been out to get you, then you may empathise with Percy considering what was to happen next; his new Vauxhall Viva was about to be hit by a 4.5 billion year old meteorite.The meteorites impact was preceded by a bright burst of light. Dog walkers recall hearing a large booming sound while a few moments after impact carol singers remember a weird crunching noise underfoot as they travelled from house to house. However, many of Barwell’s residents didn’t notice anything amiss until the next morning when they discovered holes in their windows, roofs and, unfortunately for Percy, the bonnet of his car.It took a few days for the news outlets to release the story but when they did the small village outside Leicester saw an influx of meteorite hunters desperate to find a piece of the rock. In total 44kg was recovered and with one piece found to host an extraordinary feature. It appeared to show a clast of different rock within the host matrix, suggesting the meteorite was formed after the breakup of older bodies somewhere in space. This information has helped scientists to uncover how meteorites are made and the processes that may have been active at the time of Earth’s formation.On the 12th December an event to commemorate the 50th anniversary was held and residents were encouraged to bring any fragments of the meteorite they collected with them. While the fragments are highly valuable it is likely that the people of Barwell still hold onto them as a reminder of the extraordinary events that occurred on 24th December 1965.I know what I will be wishing for this Christmas, although I might just park my Vauxhall in the garage just in case….WatsonReference: http://bbc.in/1IH9PMQImage Credit: http://bbc.in/1IH9PMQ -- source link

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