Hillwalkers have a “very exciting” opportunity to find meteorite fragments which scattered over Scotland this summer, researchers have said.
The bright meteor was witnessed by by some Scots as it streaked across the sky in the early hours of Thursday July 3.
It is believed to have exploded over northern Scotland, with the aerial event being captured on some cameras and shared on social media.
A group of researchers called the UK Fireball Alliance have tracked the path of the meteor and say fragments could be scatted in several Highlands locations.
Pieces weighing up to 100 grams were dropped on the west as it travelled across Stob Coire, Easain and Chno Dearg, before larger chunks up to 10 kilograms fell over Ben Alder.
The Ben Alder site potentially has the greatest chance of a discovery, where exposed granite on the plateau could make the dark meteorite rock more visible.
Professor Luke Daly, of the University of Glasgow, recently led a search party to Ben alder – but the team of 14 volunteers had to cut their efforts short due to weather.
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In 2021, he led the team which recovered the largest intact fragment of the Winchcombe meteorite, the first of its kind to be retrieved on UK soil in nearly 30 years.
Professor Daly said: “Meteorites are time capsules of the early Solar System, which hold a wealth of information about how our Solar System formed and developed.
“This is a very exciting opportunity to learn more about where this rock came from and where it has been and fill in a bit more of the jigsaw of our Solar System’s history.
“We know from intensive analysis of the Winchcombe samples that meteorites are very quickly affected by contact with the Earth’s atmosphere.
“The longer these pieces sit out on the Scottish hills, the more they will be weathered and the less we’ll be able to tell about their composition.
“The clock is very much ticking on our chances to learn as much as we can from these rocks, so any help that hillwalkers can give us could make all the difference.”
Dr Aine O’Brien is also at the University of Glasgow and helped to lead the search.
She said: “We’re asking hillwalkers to keep an eye out for rocks which stand out from everything around them.
“Meteorites are black and shiny with an almost glassy appearance, and they are heavy for their size.
“Since it could be about 30 per cent iron, it may also look slightly rusty after all the rain we’ve had recently.
“If someone is lucky enough to bag a meteorite while bagging a Munro, we’re asking them to take a photo and take a note of their GPS location and send it to the UK Fireball Alliance.
“If it’s small enough to be picked up, please try not to handle it directly – wrapping it in aluminium foil or a clean sandwich bag would be very helpful. If it’s too big to carry, the GPS location will help us recover it later.”
Jamie Shepherd of the UK Meteor Network said any find would be “history-making”.
The last time a meteorite was recovered in Scotland was 1917.
