Flight paths and fridge magnets: how a fireball hunter tracked down New Zealandâs newest meteorite | TheBriefWire
Flight paths and fridge magnets: how a fireball hunter tracked down New Zealandâs newest meteorite
Published 11 August 2026 ¡ science
A network of cameras helped guide a group of space enthusiasts to New Zealandâs 11th confirmed meteorite Days after a massive fireball flashed through New
A network of cameras helped guide a group of space enthusiasts to New Zealandâs 11th confirmed meteorite Days after a massive fireball flashed through New Zealandâs skies last month, Steve Wyn-Harris spotted a small, black stone on the bare ground.
The citizen astronomer was on the hunt for debris from the meteor that had flown over the North Island. He bagged the rock but wasnât too confident, as he says most finds turn out to be âmeteor-wrongsâ.
But when he held the thumb-sized rock next to a fridge magnet, to detect iron and nickel in meteorites, it clicked. Wyn-Harris did the test on a video call with other citizen scientists and geologists and after the click âwe were all yellingâ.
Published: August 11, 2026 ⢠10:09 AM IST ¡ Updated: August 11, 2026 ⢠10:40 AM ISTBy TheBriefWire Editorial Team
Key points
A network of cameras helped guide a group of space enthusiasts to New Zealandâs 11th confirmed meteorite Days after a massive fireball flashed through New Zealandâs skies last month, Steve Wyn-Harris spotted a small, black stone on the bare ground.
The citizen astronomer was on the hunt for debris from the meteor that had flown over the North Island.
He bagged the rock but wasnât too confident, as he says most finds turn out to be âmeteor-wrongsâ.
But when he held the thumb-sized rock next to a fridge magnet, to detect iron and nickel in meteorites, it clicked.
Wyn-Harris did the test on a video call with other citizen scientists and geologists and after the click âwe were all yellingâ.
The BriefWire