Meteorite Recovered in Bihar

A meteorite has been recovered in Bihar. The object, weighing 13 kgs crashed into the field where its fall had created a five-feet deep hole.

After its recovery by locals, it was shifted to the district treasury and the state Department of Science & Technology was informed of its recovery. The state Chief Minister has ordered the object (which seems to possess magnetic properties) to be kept in the Bihar Museum for the time being from where it may be shifted to Shri Krishna Science Centre in the Patna where the experts may study it to determine its exact nature.

What is a meteorite??

• A meteorite is a solid piece of residual mass which is left behind from any celestial body such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid after entry into a planet’s atmosphere.
• It may have originated in the outer space but it has to survive its passage through an atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon.
• On the entry of a celestial object into the atmosphere, various forces like friction and chemical reaction with atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate energy whereupon it becomes a meteor and takes the appearance of a fireball (also referred to as a shooting star or falling star).
• In geological terms, every meteorite which is large enough to cause a crater is called a bolide.