A schoolboy thanked his lucky stars after a meteorite hurtling to Earth clipped his hand.Gerrit Blank was heading to class when he saw a "ball of light" falling towards him.
The pea-sized space rock left a three-inch scar on the 14-year-old's hand - and smashed a foot-wide crater in the pavement.
The lad, of Essen, western Germany, said: "I felt a pain in my hand and it knocked me flying.
"Then there was an enormous bang like a crash of thunder."
Scientist Ansgar Korte, of the nearby Walter Hohmann Observatory, said the chances of Tuesday's incident were one in 100 million.
He said: "Most meteorites evaporate or land in water."
The only other known person to survive a strike was a US woman in Alabama in 1954.
Scientist Ansgar Korte, of the nearby Walter Hohmann Observatory, said the chances of Tuesday's incident were one in 100 million.
He said: "Most meteorites evaporate or land in water."
The only other known person to survive a strike was a US woman in Alabama in 1954.
From The Sun
Chances one in 100 million? And there hasn't been one in 55 years? Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteReally? You rejected my earlier comment? What was so objectionable about asking you to note that the meteor incident was a week old?
ReplyDeleteThere was no comment rejected.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you are not aware of it, it would have come through while you were still at the GOB. Could your part-time moderator have been on the job this morning?
ReplyDeleteMy earlier comment said that you might want to note the earlier date so people wouldn't think this was a new incident.
Amazing how that pea size rock can cause that much damage
ReplyDeleteIt just so happens, they were away too and some 200 comments didn't get processed until I returned. Sorry but I do not recall any comment under that Post being rejected.
ReplyDeleteWell, it was last week, but it hadn't happened in 55 years, so it was still newsworthy, and you DIDN'T see it in the DT.
ReplyDeleteIf it's all true that pea sized pebble is worth a whole lot of money. Human contact with a falling space rock is very, very rare. Bet it's on E-Bay already.
ReplyDelete