Scientists invited the people of Ghent to join the search for meteorite fragments: this is how you get to know them

The fireball was recorded by multiple cameras at 5:37 PM on December 13th. Many people also saw the meteor pass by.

“According to the latest calculations, it is possible that a meteorite weighing about 500 grams fell in the area around Ghent,” says the Fireball Recovery ans InterPlanetary Observation Network website. It relates to a northwest area to the north of Ghent, roughly in the Aalter-Lievegem-Lochristi triangle. It seems that “the larger fragments are in the direction of Bruges”.

The scientists urge people living in or passing through the area to look for “very dark stones a few centimeters long or slightly larger (about the size of a fist) in an unusual place, roof, sidewalk, street, or in their garden… .”.

What should you pay attention to?

Philip Mollet of the General Observatory in Grimbergen lists some characteristics that might indicate the presence of a meteorite: it should be black on the outside (due to burning in the atmosphere) and it is relatively heavy, about 3-4 grams per cubic centimeter. They also fell, so the stones with grass on them or something like that couldn’t be meteorites. Meteorite rock is often confused with slag (stone-like waste) from blast furnaces that are used as crushed stone on field roads, Mullett said, but these slags are more likely to contain deeper pits or holes than the meteorites.

What if I find something?

Anyone who thinks they have found a meteorite should not touch it with their hands. This is important for scientific research. Pictures can be sent to [email protected].

Since 1830, only six meteorites have been recorded in Belgium. In 1855 a fragment was also found around Gent, in Sint-Denigs-Westrem.

Meteorites are small pieces of an asteroid that fall to Earth at a high speed. They are usually very small and destroyed in the atmosphere in the form of a meteor, but sometimes fragments can reach the ground. Meteorites don’t usually have a high market value, but they are of great scientific interest because they allow us to study the formation of asteroids and the history of the solar system, she says.