On 25 July last year, the population of Sylling could look up at the night sky and catch a rare sight. A meteoroid crashed into the atmosphere with colossal force. – People called because there was a rattle in the houses, says Morten Bilet, meteor expert in the Norwegian Meteor Network. In a short time it was slowed down from 57,600 km/h to 250 km/h. – It came right over here, and hit the ground inside Finnemarka. The picture shows where the meteoroid came from in the sky towards Finnemarka. Photo: Anders Haualand / news The enormous braking causes it to burn up almost entirely due to friction with the air. But not everything burned up. – On the videos of the meteor, we could see that it split into three small pieces that hit the ground, he says. Needle in the haystack It didn’t take long before people flocked to the area in search of the space rocks. – Many people have gone and searched, and we have been able to delimit the area a little more. But the stones hit the ground at 250 km/h. If they don’t hit something hard, they burrow half a meter underground. Morten Bilet, meteor expert in the Norwegian Meteor Network. Photo: Anders Haualand / news There is also more water in the area, and if the meteorites landed there, there is little chance of finding them again. – But there is always hope that they have hit a tree or a rock. Then there is a greater chance that they have lost their speed and you can find them on the surface, says Bilet. In short, wet forest terrain is not the best place to find the long-distance stones. This is where the meteor exploded, according to calculations from the Earthquake Institute and the Meteor Network. – If it had been winter, it would have been much easier. Then there is frost on the ground, and there is a layer of snow on top as a softer layer. Then you can easily find them lying on the surface when the snow melts. – An annual salary for the lucky finder Although the chances may seem astronomically small, the experts still have hope that the meteorites will be found. – You know for sure that they have fallen down there. And one can hope that hikers or professional searchers will one day find them, says Jon Larsen, stardust researcher. Jon Larsen, stardust researcher. Photo: Birger Kjølberg If you find the meteorites, they can teach us more about them out in space. – They are all quite unique, and can tell us about the conditions in the solar system a long time ago, he says. Depending on the type of meteorite found, they can be worth huge sums of money. Up to NOK 5-6 thousand per gram. – I would like to believe that there is an annual salary out there for the lucky finder. One of the characteristics of a meteorite is that they are often magnetic. Photo: Anders Haualand / news
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One year after a meteorite fell in Finnemarka, no trace of it has yet been found – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
