A fragment of the Winchcombe meteorite. Image: Trustees of the Natural History Museum
Several fragments of an incredibly rare meteorite found in the United Kingdom are said to contain the “building blocks of life.”
A “fireball shower” lit up the U.K. and Northern Europe’s evening skies for a few seconds on Feb. 28, bringing with it an extremely rare kind of meteorite.
Researchers believe fragments of the meteorite found in the town of Winchcombe in England could provide some answers about the origins of the solar system when it was formed billions of years ago, as stated in a release by the Natural History Museum in London on March 9.
Since the meteorite landed in Winchcombe, it has been referred to as the “Winchcombe meteorite.” Its fragments are still undergoing analysis and further studies, but scientists are impressed by the phenomenon so far.
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“This is the first time since 1991 that a piece of space rock has landed and been recovered in the U.K.,” the museum stated.
Dr. Ashley King, who researches for the museum, said that the Winchcombe meteorite “looks a bit like coal” but is “much softer and is really quite fragile.”
