PORTLAND, Maine — Somewhere in a far off stretch of woodland close to Maine’s border with Canada, rocks from area crashed to Earth and could also be scattered around the flooring — simply ready to be picked up.
If you are the first to discover a in point of fact large one, a museum says it is going to pay out a $25,000 reward.
The surprisingly vibrant fireball might be noticed in huge sunlight round midday Saturday, mentioned Darryl Pitt, chair of the meteorite department on the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel.
NASA mentioned the meteorite fall used to be seen on radar — a primary for Maine — and witnesses heard sonic booms.
The museum needs so as to add to its number of moon and Mars rocks, Pitt mentioned, so the primary meteorite hunters to ship a 1-kilogram (2.2-pound) specimen will declare the $25,000 prize.
According to Pitt, the truth that radar detected the fiery descent assures the meteorites may also be discovered at the flooring.
“With more people having an awareness, the more people will look — and the greater the likelihood of a recovery,” Pitt said Wednesday.
Still, there’s no guarantee there are any meteorites big enough to claim the payout.
NASA said on its website that the “meteorite masses calculated from the radar signatures range from 1.59g (0.004 pounds) to 322g (0.7 pounds) although larger masses may have fallen.”
The chunks of space rock likely impacted across a swath of ground spanning from the town of Waite, Maine, to Canoose, New Brunswick. According to NASA, the largest specimens will be strewn at the west end of the debris field, closest to Waite — about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Portland.
NASA said four radar sweeps found “signatures consistent with falling meteorites, seen at the time and location reported by eyewitnesses.”
The Maine Mineral and Gem Museum maintains an extensive collection of specimens, including the largest intact Mars rock on Earth.
The museum is asking meteorite hunters to brush up on what meteorites look like before searching, so they know what they’re looking for, and avoid private property unless they have permission.
Pitt mentioned the museum could also be having a look to buy another specimens discovered by means of meteorite hunters. He mentioned the specimens “could easily be worth their weight in gold.”
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