Meteorite the size of an apricot falls in France, a hunt ensues to find the space rock

Meteors falling on Earth isn’t a new phenomenon, but every time a meteor enters into the earth’s atmosphere and falls on the surface, it sparks interest and curiosity among astronomers and space enthusiasts alike. Last weekend, an apricot-sized meteorite fell into Earth and landed somewhere in France. The space rock, which is estimated to weigh 150 gm, was captured plunging through the atmosphere. Here’s more about the event.

Where did the Meteorite fall in France?

According to a report in The Guardian, the stunning video which features the plunging meteorite was captured by the cameras at an astronomy education facility in Mauroux. It landed at exactly 10:43 OM on Saturday near Aiguillon, which is about 100km (62 miles) from Bordeaux. The report in the Guardian mentions that the site is part of the Vigie-Ciel (Sky Watch). Vigie-Ciel is a project of around 100 cameras in the Fireball Recovery and InterPlanetary Observation Network (FRIPON). It aims to detect and collect the meteorites that fall in France each year. In an interview with The Guardian, Mickael Wilmart, a scientist frim A Ciel Ouvert astronomy education association said that Meteorites are relics of our solar system’s creation. He also revealed that what’s special about this meteorite is that its contents have not been altered by Earth’s environment. Therefore, it can provide valuable information.

The catch here is that this meteorite is so minuscule that it has still not been found. A search has ensued in real life as well as on social media. Posters have been put up in areas where the meteorite is most likely to be found. However, Professor
Wilmart expressed that chances of success are slim because it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Large asteroid to fly by Earth on March 21

In another interesting development in space, NASA recently revealed that Asteroid 2001 F032, popularly known to be the largest known asteroid, is now going to fly past Earth. Because of this, a number of people have been curious to know more about this Asteroid. According to NASA, the size of the asteroid is approximately 0.767 to 1.714 kilometres in diameter. It is approaching our solar system and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has stated that the March 21st asteroid is “potentially hazardous”. The space organisation has also identified the March 21 asteroid as a 'Near-Earth Object'. 231937 or 2001 FO32 asteroid’s total size can also be compared to the size of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA.