Catch a falling star and find out where it came from
14 Jan 2011
Star-gazing cameras have helped a team of scientists from around the world to discover a new meteorite in Western Australia's Nullarbor Plain.
Funded mainly by the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council, the research was conducted by scientists from Curtin University, Imperial College, London, Ondrejov Observatory, Czech Republic, and the Western Australian Museum.
Adjunct professor, Phil Bland, of Curtin University's Department of Applied Geology, said images from the cameras would help his team to reveal more about the new 'space rock's' chemistry and original orbit in the Solar System.
''Meteorites are like ancient jigsaw puzzle pieces. When we find out where one comes from, it is like putting in another tiny piece of the puzzle, providing insights into the workings of our solar system and how it began billions of years ago,'' Professor Bland said.
''We are absolutely over the moon that our camera network has helped us to locate a new meteorite for the second consecutive year.''
According to Professor Bland, finding the meteorite has helped to support the theory that asteroids provided the building blocks for terrestrial planets when the Solar System was forming.
