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| Possible Meteorite Lands in Turlock Backyard |
 Lisa and Albert Darmousseh of Turlock may have a little piece of Mars in their backyard. At least they hope so.
Lisa Darmousseh was watching the Olympics Monday just before midnight
when she heard a thud in her backyard. She went out to investigate but
didn't see anything.
The next afternoon, she noticed divots in the backyard and what looked
like several mushrooms or dog droppings. Her husband tried to pick one
up with a paper towel and said it still felt hot. "When we saw it at
5:30 or so, the smoke was still coming out of this one," said Albert
Darmousseh.
The family believes what landed in their backyard was a meteorite that
likely broke into three pieces on impact. The biggest piece weighs 137
grams, or about 4.5 ounces, and is the size of a grapefruit.
The couple's nephew did a little investigating on the Internet and
believes the rock has characteristics in common with ones from Mars.
The family has contacted NASA to determine what to do next with the
rock.
Thousands of meteorites fall to Earth each year. Most burn up in the
atmosphere or fall in the sea or remote areas. Only 31 recovered
meteorites are known to have come from Mars, which makes them extremely
rare and very valuable. Others have been found in Libya, Antarctica,
and Southern California.
The Darmoussehs say whether or not it's from Mars, it's still exciting
to have a rock from outer space in their own backyard. "If it's from
Mars, it would be the 32nd, and if it's not, how often do you find an
asteroid in your backyard?" said Mike Darmousseh. |
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Story last updated Thursday, August 19, 2004 - 6:22 PM |
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