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
Why Parents Hesitate Before Seeking Mental-Health Expertise
A recent survey by Parents Magazine found that 62 percent of participants waited more than five weeks to get their children help with mental health issues. A majority of those said they were trying not to overreact to their child's behavior, explains Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief of Parents Magazine.
Opening Bell: April 17, 2018
Netflix stock is surging after the company reported first-quarter earnings, disclosing that the company added 7.4 million subscribers in the first three months of this year. Netflix now has 125 million subscribers globally. This year, Netflix plans to spend $8 billion on developing original content. Goldman Sachs reported earnings on Tuesday, soaring past Wall Street estimates. The firm said its quarterly revenue hit $10 billion, an increase of 27%. Goldman's successful first quarter is due in large part to the recent surge in trading and market volatility. Plus, we talk artificial intelligence with Sam Mantle, managing director of digital enterprise at Luxoft. The company recently announced a partnership with Softbank Robotics America to improve technology in "Pepper" the robot. Mantle digs into how Pepper can be used across industries from travel, to retail, to hospitality, noting that developers are just starting to learn how expansive and beneficial artificial intelligence can be.
Opening Bell: March 20, 2018
The fallout from Facebook's latest data scandal continues to intensify. The Weinstein Co. officially files for bankruptcy protection after many attempts to sell the company failed. Josh Sternberg, tech editor for AdWeek, joins us to discusses how Uber moves forward after one of its driverless cars killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. And Bri Bauer from Dairy Queen brings ice cream cones to the trading floor to celebrate the company's National Cone Day. On the first day of spring, Dairy Queen gives customers free vanilla ice cream cones.
Opening Bell: March 16, 2018
One of Nike's top executives is stepping down over misconduct allegations. Airbnb is making it easier for people with disabilities to find rentals on its platform. We dive into the Theranos fraud scandal with the Wall Street Journal reporter who initially reported that something was off with the start-up blood testing company. And Tim Stenovec chats with Neil Patrick Harris about season two of his Netflix show "A Series of Unfortunate Events."
What's Next for Elizabeth Holmes?
For now, the disgraced founder and CEO of Theranos says she plans to stay on in that role at the company. But a criminal investigation is still ongoing, and indictments could follow, says John Carreyrou, the investigative reporter at The Wall Street Journal who saw through the hype early.
That Time Indiana Almost Changed the Value of Pi...
In celebration of "Pi Day", Curiosity.com editor and podcast host Ashley Hamer looked at the history of the geometric ratio. She told Cheddar that back in 1897, one amateur mathematician almost convinced the Indiana state legislature to pass a law saying 𝜋 is actually equal to 3.2!
Clocks Causing Chaos
Sara Chodosh, assistant editor at Popular Science, discusses how Daylight Saving Time affects your health. We talk about the rise in fatal car accidents due to sleep deprivation, as well as the negative effects to your health like an increased rate of heart attacks.
Load More