Residents of Staffordshire, UK are on a meteorite hunt in their gardens and driveways after a bright meteor was seen streaking over the county.
A bright fireball was seen streaking over the county in the early hours of 6 May, and was caught on camera by several meteorite hunters, including those with the The UK Fireball Alliance (UK FALL).
"Due to the multidirectional coverage, these cameras allow us to triangulate the fireball's trajectory, giving us an idea of where we may expect to find any meteorites," says Charlotte Bays from UKFALL.
Click here to read more about setting up your own meteor detecting camera with a Raspberry Pi
The brightness of the fireball indicated it was large enough that some of it might have survived the journey through Earth’s atmosphere and fallen to the ground as meteorites.
UK FALL estimate the fall could have dropped as much as 500g (1.1lbs) of meteorite material, and would be around 5-10cm (2-4 inches) in size if it survived in one piece.
Where might the Staffordshire meteorite have landed?
From its trajectory, experts calculated any meteorites would have come down in northern Staffordshire.
Teams from several universities have already been dispatched to search fields around the regions of Blythe Bridge and Uttoxeter for meteorites, but have been unsuccessful.
UKFALL are now asking residents of Blythe Bridge, Rough Close, Teen, Freehay and Uttoxter to search their own gardens and driveways for any rocks which might look out of the ordinary.
Experts were keen to remind searchers to stick to areas that were safe and where they had permission to be.
Residents taking part in the Staffordshire meteorite hunt should look for anything that appears out of the ordinary.
"We are asking the public to keep a lookout for any small dark rocks which look out of place, which may have a slightly iridescent sheen to the exterior (or 'fusion crust', where the rock has started to melt during atmospheric entry); these may look similar to a charcoal briquette," say Bays.
"It will likely feel heavier than other rocks of the same size, or if it has landed on a hard surface you may see a patch of fine, dark powder."
If you find a suspected meteorite, pick it up with a clean sandwich bag or tin-foil, rather than with bare hands to avoid contamination.
Do not attempt to test any suspected meteorites with a magnet, as this can damage the magnetic fields captured within the rock.
Once collected, contact the Natural History Museum or UKFALL to report the find.
The meteorite hunt in Staffordshire is reminiscent of the Winchcombe meteorite, where over 300g of meteorite material was recovered from Gloucestershire in 2021 after a fireball sighting.
