Catching a Shooting Star

Pythagorean Astronomy

Where were you on 28th February 2021, just before 10pm? If you were in parts of Wales, or the west of England, you may have seen a bright flash streaking in the sky. This was a fireball - a bright kind of meteorite which is a special sight in its own right. But this was a very special fireball, as the object that created it landed on the ground and has been found, collected and is under analysis right now. To add to the magic, it's also an incredibly special kind of meteorite, and includes some incredibly old material. To learn about the process of finding, collecting and studying these rare finds, as well as what they can tell us about the origins of the Earth, we hear from Dr Martin Suttle and Dr Helena Bates from the Natural History Museum.