Treasure hunts may seem like something out of fiction, but there is a real one going on right now. A Maine museum is offering $25,000 to anyone who returns a piece of a meteorite that is likely in the northern part of the state.
The Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel already has one of the largest collections of meteorites anywhere, its founder says. He joined the most recent “Something Offbeat” podcast episode with host Mike Rogers.
“Our museum has probably the rarest collection of meteorites in the world in this little town in western Maine,” said museum founder Larry Stifler. “One of the reasons we’ve had worldwide publicity is, for example, more than half of all the known lunar meteorites in the entire world are in this little museum.”
Stifler also explained where meteorites come from, how difficult it is to find pieces of them, and what the odds are of being struck by a space rock.
Why are they offering such a hefty reward for one that might be in their own state? Listen here to find out.
Each week, “Something Offbeat” takes a deeper look at an unusual headline. If you have suggestions for stories the podcast should cover, send them to us at somethingoffbeat@audacy.com.
Related
