Space rock holds clues to origin of Earth’s oceans and organic matter
A meteorite that flew over New York City and crashed into a New Jersey rooftop came from an asteroid that once contained brackish water beneath its surface. The rock may have a composition similar to that of brought water and organic matter to early Earththe researchers report on July 15 in Scientific advances.
The meteorite lit up the daytime sky and created a sonic boom above the New York metropolitan area on July 16, 2024. The space rock, which originally weighed about 53 kilograms, entered Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 14 kilometers per second and exploded with energy equivalent to 1.3 tons of TNT.
Shortly afterward, a 3-pound piece of rock crashed onto the roof of a Hillsborough, New Jersey, home, filling a bedroom with dust and a sulfuric odor. The owner “got a brief whiff of what the early Earth might have smelled like,” says planetary astronomer Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., who was part of the team that analyzed the meteorites. No one was hurt.
Fortuitously, the owner picked up the fragments with gloved hands and aluminum foil and immediately placed them in glass jars to isolate them from terrestrial contamination.
Most meteorites found on Earth remained on the ground or in the earth for an indefinite period of time. It is therefore difficult to distinguish the original composition of the rock from local detritus. Previous meteorites found on the ground days Or hours after landing lie scientific treasures.
For a rock that fell to Earth by itself, “that’s about as good as it gets,” says Jenniskens.
The meteorite is a CM carbonaceous chondrite, considered a type of rock that delivered water and organic matter to early Earth. It likely comes from a protoplanet formed just outside Jupiter’s orbit. Studying it could help researchers identify the specific ingredients that created life here.
The meteorite contains fragments of sodium-rich material compared to materials found in similar meteorites, suggesting that brines once altered the rock. It also contains organic matter and types of amino acids rare on Earth. These molecules likely formed inside the asteroid at a time when salt water allowed for complex chemistry.
Jenniskens urges people not to worry about a meteorite hitting their own home. Not only is this unlikely, but “it’s a treasure,” he says. “It’s an honor. I think you’re very lucky if this happens to you.”