Last week an object that police and a homeowner believed to be a meteorite smashed through a New Jersey home’s ceiling before coming to rest on the home’s wood floor. Now, experts have identified the item.
Nate Magee, a physics professor at The College of New Jersey, shared last week that the object was a 2.2-pound stony chondrite meteorite that’s roughly 4.56 billion years old.
The Hopewell Police Department released a statement with photos of the suspected space rock before it was handed over to experts for further analysis.
The meteorite struck the ranch-style home on Monday, crashing through the roof and leaving a crack in the home-owners hardwood floor.
In a statement shared on Facebook, the College of New Jersey shared that Magee used “visual examination, density measurements, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, and examination” to identify the rock. The college also shared that Magee had input from retired meteorite expert Jerry Delaney.
“Getting the chance to examine the meteorite yesterday was a rare and thrilling opportunity for me, as well as for a group of physics students and professors at TCNJ,” Magee said. “We are excited to be able to confirm that the object is a true chondrite meteorite, in excellent condition, and one of a very small number of similar witnessed chondrite falls known to science.”
The Planetary Science Institute shared that hundreds of meteorites fall to Earth each year, with few being found because they impact the planet in remote areas or the ocean.
As for the rock found in New Jersey, the college shared that it has been named after the nearest postal address, likely to be known as the “Titusville, NJ” meteorite.
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