[meteorite-list] Scientists In India Identify Object That Fell From The Sky As A Meteorite

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:27:44 2004
Message-ID: <200311051543.HAA28831_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://us.rediff.com/news/2003/nov/05up.htm

Object that fell from the sky was a meteorite: Scientists
rediff.com (India)
November 5, 2003

Scientists on Wednesday said the object that fell from the sky in
Kasauli village in Muzaffarnagar on November 2 is a meteorite.

The meteorite, now deposited in the office of the Senior Superintendent
of Police (Muzaffarnagar) for safekeeping, would be brought to the
Geological Survey of India laboratory in Dehra Dun for further
examination, U P Gupta of the GSI said.

The GSI is the custodian of any unidentified object that falls from
the sky into Indian territory.

Gupta and his colleague Kamaudi Joshi examined the 17.9 kg
black-coloured meteorite at Muzaffarnagar said a preliminary
investigation suggested it is made of iron and some other
elements. Its surface was burnt due to the friction generated
when it entered the Earth's atmosphere. The chiselled portion
inside is grey in colour.

The meteorite is 29cm in diameter and 11cm thick. It had created
a 15-inch deep crater when it landed in Kasauli village.

A three-member team of scientists from IIT, Roorkee have already
collected samples from the impact site for examination. "Our team
would examine the object and study the heating and cushion
effects of the fall," Brahm Prakash, who heads the Earth Science
Department at the institute, told PTI.


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http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Meteorite+lands+in+UP+village&id=44601

Meteorite lands in UP village
Sunetra Choudhary
ndtv.com (india)
November 5, 2003


A heavy object, believed to be a meteorite, fell in a village in western
Uttar Pradesh on Sunday night.

People of Kausali village in Muzaffarnagar district saw a huge fireball
light up the night sky followed by a loud bang in Sri Krishna Pandit's fields.

Initially, some villagers could have had extraterrestrials on their mind.
But it turned out to be just a harmless 17 kg meteorite.

"I was cutting vegetables when I saw it. I really thought that it was an
aircraft which was crashing," says Omwati.

"In my opinion it was a meteorite. There has never been one in India before,"
says Shiv Kumar, another villager.

When they couldn't figure out what it was, they called the police.

The meteorite is now lying in the local police station.

"I've informed all the agencies like ISRO, IIT and they have all said that
they may be looking into it,'' says SSP Navneet Sekera.

Due to the meteorite falling in Kausali village, it has become the latest
hotspot for scientists and the media.

The residents don't mind the attention. And they're really proud that
there weren't any superstitious rumours about it either. Local authorities
say that's because of the high literacy rate of 60 per cent in the area.
Received on Wed 05 Nov 2003 10:43:27 AM PST