Possible potato-shaped meteorite smashes through roof of family home in the US
Experts believe a ‘warm’ potato-sized metal object that smashed a hole in the ceiling of a family home could be a rock from space
READING LEVEL: GREEN
A metallic* object believed to be a meteorite* punched a hole in the roof of a family home in the US this week.
The object smashed into a hardwood floor and bounced around a bedroom in the New Jersey house. The family who owns the home discovered the black, potato-sized rock in a corner. It was still warm to the touch.
Police said nobody was hurt and there was no serious damage to the residence.
The object measures about 10cm by 15cm and weighs about 1.8kg.
Suzy Kop, whose family owns the home, said they initially thought someone had thrown a rock into an upstairs bedroom, but soon realised that wasn’t what had happened.
“We are thinking it’s a meteorite, came through here, hit the floor here because that’s completely damaged, it ricocheted* up to this part of the ceiling and then finally rested on the floor there,” Ms Kop said on TV.
“I did touch the thing because I thought it was a random rock ... and it was warm.”
Ms Kop said officials wearing emergency protection suits responded to analyse the object and check on her family in case they had been exposed to some type of radioactive* material.
“They were afraid that, you know, because it fell from the sky, it was radioactive, and we could have some type of residue* on us. So they scanned us and everything came back clear.”
Scientists believe it could be four to five billion years old, left over from the beginning of the solar system.
The family plans to meet with an astrophysicist* who will further examine the object.
GLOSSARY
- metallic: something that is metal
- meteorite: space rock
- ricocheted: bounced off at an angle
- radioactive: when very small particles in objects emit energy or smaller particles. The energy that is produced can result in cancer, serious environmental damage, or helpful technologies
- residue: anything left over once a substance is removed
- astrophysicist: someone who studies the stars and planets
EXTRA READING
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QUICK QUIZ
- What vegetable does the shape of the object resemble?
- How heavy was the object?
- What surprised Suzy Kop when she touched the rock?
- Why did officials have to wear suits to inspect the object?
- How old do scientists believe the rock could be?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Meteorite protection
Work with a classmate and design a contraption that can go on the roof of houses to meteorite-proof them, to ensure no bits of space rock can harm people in their home.
Sketch your design, give it a name and write a one paragraph design brief outlining the key features and ideas behind your design.
If time permits, share your brief with the class.
Time: allow 45 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science; Design and Technologies; Personal and Social; Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
Write a newspaper report to publish in the local newspaper putting yourselves in the shoes of the people whose house it was. Describe the experience and how you were feeling watching these events unfold.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
1. Find the adjectives
An adjective is a describing word. They are often found describing a noun. Start by looking at the words before the nouns.
Search for all the adjectives you can find in the article.
Did you find any repeat adjectives or are they all different?
Extension: Pick three of your favourite adjectives from the text and put them in your own sentences to show other ways to use them.