* Astronomy

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RE: Sierra meteor

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Coloma hunt continues

The big question scientists from NASA and UC Davis are studying is where the meteorites may have landed in the Coloma foothills. That means charting each find with an exact location to determine the spray of the explosion in a debris field in and around the James Marshall Gold Discovery State Park.
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Coloma Business Booms From Meteorite Hunt

Thousands from all over the country are flocking to get their piece of the rare rock.
Lately it hasn't been the meteorite hunters finding them, it's been the locals that stumbling on meteorites on their private properties in Coloma and nearby Lotus.
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California's 'Meteor Zombies' Hunt for Fragments Worth 20x More Than Gold - May 2012

One of the most important meteor strikes in a generation has brought treasure-hunters flocking to a small town in northern California for the second time in 150 years.

The great gold rush began in the Coloma Valley in 1848, and now a meteor rush is underway as stardust fragments sell for 20 times the price of gold.
The meteorite is thought to have been the size of a minivan as it hit the earth's atmosphere and broke up, scattering rare rocks across the California countryside.

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Meteorite Chunks Could Be Around Folsom Lake

"We identified twelve potential locations that need to be investigated" - Petrus Jenniskens, a NASA researcher.

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Scientists use airship to look for meteorites

A group of scientists took to the skies in a slow-moving airship Thursday in search of meteorites that rained over California's gold country last month.
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People from all over the world are in the tiny town of Lotus in El Dorado County looking for something that's out of this world, but leave it to a stay-at-home mom walking her dog to find a precious meteorite.
The rock Brenda Salveson found is 17 grams, equal to just over a tablespoon of sugar. But when it comes in the form of an asteroid, its weight has no boundaries.
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Updated: Google earth file: Sierra meteor.kmz (1kb, kmz)

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Meteor hunters strike pay dirt

In the week since a fireball shot across the sky and exploded, scattering a rare type of meteorite over California's Gold Country, these hills have drawn a new rush of treasure seekers.
Once again there are lively saloons, fortune hunters jockeying for prime spots and astounding tales of luck - including that of Brenda Salveson, a local who found a valuable space rock while walking her dog Sheldon
The meteorites are invaluable to science but on the open market can also fetch $1,000 a gram, or more for larger, pristine pieces.
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Meteorite hunters descend on Gold Rush towns

Meteorite hunters are flooding into this historic Gold Rush canyon in search of a new kind of gold, black meteorites that hit above the Sierra last Sunday morning.
The meteoriod sent a flash across the morning sky along with a shock wave that send people into the streets a little after 8 a.m.
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Ed ~ Be aware of the dangers of that area. Remember to dress appropriately, with proper footwear, as well as food and water. It is advisable to take a mobile phone, map of the area, and a camera.
And tell someone where you are heading off to.

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Astronomer finds meteorite pieces in Gold Country

Searchers near historic Sutter's Mill have discovered fragments of the meteorite that exploded high in the sky at sunrise last Sunday.
Petrus Jenniskens, the same NASA astronomer who trekked across the Nubian desert four years ago to recover fragments of a small asteroid and bring them home, said Wednesday he had found fragments of the space object on the asphalt parking lot of Henningsen Lotus Park, located in the small town of Lotus in El Dorado County.
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Meteorites found in Northern California likely from giant fireball over weekend

Tiny meteorites found in the Sierra foothills of Northern California likely were part of a giant fireball that exploded in daylight with about one-third the explosive force of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima at the end of World War II, scientists said Wednesday.
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