Leeds professor shares analysis of suspected meteorite that landed near Wakefield man's Outwood home

Dan Charlton witnessed the object plummet to earth outside of his home in the early hours of Monday, May 6. He said that it had a “green flame like a hue” and that it made a “whoosh” sound.

He went out the next morning and found what he suspected was the object, saying that it was “warm and smelt burnt”. He added that, upon the advice of a geologist friend, he also discovered that it contained a slight magnetic field.

On Thursday Dan took the rock to the University of Leeds where he met with Professor Simon Kelley from the School of Earth and Environment.

After taking a sample of the rock for further analysis the professor has now given his thoughts, saying that after first looking at it he saw clues that suggested it was not from outer space and was a “terrestrial rock”.

He explained: “First of all, I could not see any evidence of a fusion crust. Meteorite falls normally have a thin coating of black melted rock which forms as a result of the friction of falling through the atmosphere. Also, I could see what appeared to be holes and medium-sized crystals. 

“Most meteorites are extremely fine grained and contain very characteristic circular structures called chrondrules. 

“However, there are other types of meteorites, so we can’t be certain about the rock’s classification just yet.”

Professor Kelley, whose areas of expertise include planetary science and geochronology, added: “To be absolutely sure, we will investigate further.

“We will begin by cutting a slice of the rock. That slice will then be ground and polished so that it is so thin we can shine light through it and we will be able to identify the internal structures and minerals. 

“That will take a couple of weeks to complete and we’ll then get back in touch with Dan to share the details of what makes up the rock he found.”