The pieces, which could be as heavy as a few hundred grams, are probably composed mainly of iron and other minerals common to our planet, making them magnetic.
But unlike the origin of other meteorites, University of Western Ontario scientists believe they know where this one came from. It was most likely shot out of the asteroid belt after a collision millions of years ago, UWO post-doctoral fellow Phil McCausland said. Using the trajectory and speed of its entry into Earth's atmosphere, researchers have worked out the meteor's orbit.
Researchers are anxious to retrieve any possible fragments of what's believed to have been a meteorite that appeared over Newmarket, Ont., just after 8:30 p.m. ET on March 15. The Royal Ontario Museum and The University of Western Ontario are now asking residents in the area for their help in finding the space debris.
Ontario scientists are looking for help in tracking down meteorite fragments they believe fell to Earth last month in an area just south of Lake Simcoe. Five cameras from the University of Western Ontario's Southern Ontario Meteor Network recorded a fireball in the evening sky on March 15 at 8:37 p.m. ET.
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and The University of Western Ontario are looking for help from local residents in recovering a meteorite that fell to earth in the Newmarket, Ont. area. At 8:37 p.m. on Sunday, March 15 (01:37 UT March 16), five cameras of Western's Southern Ontario Meteor Network recorded a fireball in the evening sky. The slow fireball may have dropped small meteorites in a region between Newmarket and Lake Simcoe, providing masses that may total as much as a few hundred grams.