One small piece of rock, but a giant discovery for scientists. This is one of the first pieces of meteorite to be discovered in the UK for three decades.

"This is a once in a lifetime experience really for us," says Ashley King from the Natural History Museum.

"So, it's incredibly rare for meteorites to actually be witnessed coming down, landing on the earth, and being recovered."

The rocks that have been found are so rare, they're a type of meteorite never before seen in the UK.

"This is what we call a carbonaceous chondrite meteorite, and so that means it comes from the birth of our solar system," explains King.

"So, this rock is 4.6 billion years old, and it contains all the ingredients that were there when our solar system was forming, that went into making asteroids, went into making comets, and ultimately. Went into making planets like the Earth."

When a fireball meteor was seen shooting through the night sky, scientists dared to dream that small pieces of it may have landed.

They asked people to search in an area just north of the English town of Cheltenham and began getting calls from the town of Winchcombe.

Sure enough, the rocks people were finding here were meteorites.

Scientists began searching the local area, that search led them here, to Lachland Bond's parents' farm.

"So, we actually found out via the scientists coming to our door, knocking and saying that there had been a potential meteorite falling on our land and if they could have a little look," explains Bond.

Within an hour, they found something.

"If it gives us a little bit of a glimpse into history, then that will be a wonderful thing to be able to say that it happened on our land," says Bond.

The last time a meteorite was discovered in the UK was back in 1991.

People in Winchcombe sense history has been made here.

"From our point of view, it's exciting, people have actually had a purpose to go out and walk at the moment, not they didn't have a purpose already, but they certainly now have a purpose to go out and walk," says one resident.

"This is exciting news. Yeah, it is, yes. Puts Winchcombe on the map for yet another reason," says another.

Share:
More In Science
Eli Lilly to Offer Breakthrough Migraine Drug for Free
Relief for migraine suffers may, at long last, be imminent. With the FDA approving Eli Lilly's Emgality drug, Christi Shaw, president of Lilly Bio-Medicines, expounded on the drug's potential efficacy. The company has said it will offer the treatment to chronic migraine suffers with commercial insurance for free for a year.
Facebook's Bosworth: VR the 'Next Frontier For Human Connection'
Facebook announced its newest VR headset that will ship next year. "Oculus Quest" offers users the same virtual experience, but now users are able to move more freely while wearing the headset. Andrew Bosworth, VP of VR/AR at Facebook, said this is the next step in better connecting people around the world.
After Florence, Farm Animal Death Toll Could Be in Millions
North Carolina is facing a new crisis a week after Hurricane Florence made landfall. Not only have millions of farm animals drowned in the initial floods. Now, flooded waste lagoons are contaminating the drinking water, explained Zoë Schlanger, environment reporter for Quartz.
How High Can Pot Stocks Go?
Tilray, the Canadian cannabis company swiftly becoming one of the most talked-about stocks of the year, was up as much as 50 percent on Wednesday morning, leading a continued bull run in pot stocks and putting its market cap above established companies like Macy's and Viacom.
SpaceX Has Chosen Its First Moon Tourist
Elon Musk and SpaceX announced the company's first private passenger, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. Shannon Stirone, freelance science journalist, said that this is the first step to Musk's ultimate goal ー transporting people to Mars.
Florence's Slow Movement a Worry for Insurers
Insurers should expect losses in the tens of billions of dollars due to Hurricane Florence's rain, which will linger for days because of the system's slow movement, said Mark Watson, CEO of Argo Group.
With Florence Looming, Trump Claims Democrats Made Up Puerto Rico Death Toll
Natural disasters, hurricanes especially, were once opportunities for administrations to flex their leadership and empathy muscles. When they failed (see: Bush, Katrina), the results were politically devastating. When they succeeded (see: Christie, Sandy), they launched runs for office. Those days appear to be over.
Load More