Researchers at the Seti Institute found that the Hillsborough meteorite, named after the city where it fell on July 16, 2024, contains a diverse range of compounds including carbon, amino acids and other prebiotic molecules, considered the building blocks of life.
“An analysis revealed that they contained remains preserved from the near-surface zone of a small, early asteroid, where it was exposed to concentrated saline fluids – a process not previously known for this type of protoplanetary world,” said lead author Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center.
The study published in the journal Science Advances found that the meteorite was composed of a primitive and rare material called CM1/2 type carbonaceous chondrite.
Furthermore, Hillsborough’s composition confirms that it underwent “greater alteration by water” than most other CM-type meteorites that have fallen to Earth.
This is the second time that a meteorite of this type has been observed, making it “one of the most scientifically valuable ever recovered,” according to the SETI Institute, a California-based research organization.
Researchers have highlighted that Hillsborough provided great information, thanks to the fact that the owner of the house where it fell “preserved and documented the entire scene,” using disposable gloves and aluminum foil to deposit the meteorite fragments in glass jars.
Hillsborough comes from a rock the size of a heavy airplane suitcase that entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 14.4 kilometers per second.
Sixty observers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania reported to the American Meteor Society that they had seen the rock, which was fragile and quickly fragmented, astronomers reported.
The owner of the home where the Hillsborough fell said he heard a loud bang and found a hole in the master bedroom ceiling.
The man smelled a strong smell of sulfur when he picked up the numerous black fragments, as well as debris and black dust that covered his bed, the carpet and the surrounding areas.
Researchers reported that some of the meteorite fragments will be kept at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.