SA scientists unveil fragment of motorcycle-sized meteorite

Local scientists on Tuesday unveiled a fragment of what they described as a motorcycle-sized meteorite that was found in Nqweba in the Eastern Cape in August.

Residents in the provinces of the Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Free State reported seeing a bright blue-white and orange streak of light in the sky on August 25, which was accompanied by an explosive sound and vibrations, the scientists said.

The rare meteorite fragment — black and shiny on the outside with a light grey, concrete-like interior — weighs less than 3.2oz with a diameter of less than 5cm, and has been provisionally named the Nqweba Meteorite, after the nearby town where it was found.

“Friction with the atmosphere created a spectacular fireball and caused it to break up in flight,” Roger Gibson, a professor at the University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Geosciences, told a news conference.

Sitting on her grandparents’ porch in Nqweba, nine-year-old Elize du Toit saw a dark rock fall from the sky. She picked it up and gave it to her mother, who later handed it over to scientists.

“I just heard this rumbling sound. And then I just noticed this rock falling out of the sky and then I went to go pick it up and it was still warm,” said Du Toit. 

Reuters