A museum in Maine is offering a reward of $25,000 for the remains of a meteorite that landed near the U.S- Canada border last week. The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum is specifically seeking the first meteorite piece found that weighs 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) or more, according to Darryl Pitt, head of the museum’s meteorite division.
The task of finding the meteorite may prove to be challenging, as it landed in a sparsely populated and densely wooded area of Maine. Pitt acknowledged that locating meteorites in the woods is not easy, but he remains guardedly optimistic and expects a robust response from meteorite hunters.
The meteorite streaked across the sky on Saturday, April 8 at 11:57 am ET and was visible for over four minutes, according to NASA. Pitt described the event as significant, with the brightness of the fireball overwhelming the daylight.
The meteorite is believed to have a blackened exterior and a different-colored interior, possibly containing iron, which makes it attractive to a magnet. In January 2023, a 16.7-pound (7.57-kilogram) meteorite was discovered in Antarctica, underscoring the rarity and scientific value of such findings.
This is not the first time the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum has offered a reward for a meteorite. A similar initiative was launched in 2016, but no fragments were found. As meteorite enthusiasts eagerly await any potential findings, the hunt for space rocks continues, driven by the allure of uncovering rare and scientifically valuable meteorites.
