A research team from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Istanbul University detected amino acids — important organic compounds that form the human body — in a meteorite that hit the western Turkey 52 years ago.
The meteorite weighing four kilograms landed in western Çanakkale province's Bayramiç district in 1964. Following initial research on its mineral structure, the meteorite was sent to NASA in 2012 for further examination. Following a four-year research, scientists found that the meteorite contained 19 different types of amino acids, including glycine, alanine, valine, serine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid.
Such a finding is considered important as it is the first time that amino acids have ever been detected in a meteorite that fell in Turkey.
Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA), Yavuz Örnek, an associate professor at Istanbul University's Institute of Marine Sciences and Management, reportedly said that approximately 500 meteorites land on earth each year, but only around 10 percent of these could be retrieved while the rest fall in lakes, oceans, deserts and polar regions.
Did you see it? Driver Jeremy Wall captured dashcam video of this fireball streaking across on Harrington Road in the Lawrenceville area on May 3.
The meteor was likely part of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, the first of two celestial light shows that occur every year in early May as a result of Earth passing through dust released by Halley's Comet. The shower peaks May 5 and 6 with about 10 to 20 meteors streaking across the sky per hour. The best time to catch the show is just before dawn.
Intrigue is mounting following the sighting on Saturday of a mysterious bright light in the north west sky.
Times staff member Clare McGillivray snapped this photo from her Beachlands home on Saturday night. At first she thought it was just the setting sun reflecting off a wispy cloud but wondered if it was a meteorite as it appeared to leave a large trail as it dropped through the sky.
"It took about 10 minutes from first sighting to disappear behind the clouds. During this time it grew from a squiggly line to a straight streak. It appeared to be falling out of the sky or maybe streaking across the atmosphere. Pretty amazing to see," she said.
And she wasn't the only one to have spotted the orange streak.
There were numerous comments from apparent witnesses on the WeatherWatch.co.nz site.
One wrote on the site on Saturday: "Strange light over West Auckland. So about 5.45-6.00pm this evening (30/04/16). I was working at Auckland hospital and happened to look out one of the windows facing towards west Auckland.
During the month of April 2016, 2 new comets were discovered and cometary activity was detected for 1 previously discovered object (earlier designated as an asteroid). NASA's Hubble Space Telescope spotted a small, dark moon orbiting Makemake, the second brightest icy dwarf planet — after Pluto — in the Kuiper Belt. Pioneer comet observer Elizabeth (Pat) Roemer died on April 09.
Moreover the discovery of the binary nature of asteroid (5674) Wolff and the images of a new satellite of asteroid (130) Elektra have been reported (see below for more about these news).
The dates below refer to the date of issuance of CBET (Central Bureau Electronic Telegram) which reported the official news & designations.
Comet Discoveries
Apr 05 Discovery of P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS)
Apr 08 Discovery of P/2015 HG_16 (PANSTARRS)*
*G. V. Williams, Minor Planet Center, noted that the 2016 April 3 observations of this comet appeared to belong to a supposedly asteroidal object found a year ago by Pan-STARRS1 on 2015 Apr. 20, 21, and 24 (and then given the minor-planet designation 2015 HG_16 on MPS 603395 and 603396)
In a paper to be published today in the journal Science Advances, lead author Karen Meech of the University of Hawai'i's Institute for Astronomy and her colleagues conclude that C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) formed in the inner Solar System at the same time as the Earth itself, but was ejected at a very early stage.
Their observations indicate that it is an ancient rocky body, rather than a contemporary asteroid that strayed out. As such, it is one of the potential building blocks of the rocky planets, such as the Earth, that was expelled from the inner Solar System and preserved in the deep freeze of the Oort Cloud for billions of years.
Karen Meech explains the unexpected observation: "We already knew of many asteroids, but they have all been baked by billions of years near the Sun. This one is the first uncooked asteroid we could observe: it has been preserved in the best freezer there is."
C/2014 S3 (PANSTARRS) was originally identified by the Pan-STARRS1 telescope as a weakly active comet a little over twice as far from the Sun as the Earth. Its current long orbital period (around 860 years) suggests that its source is in the Oort Cloud, and it was nudged comparatively recently into an orbit that brings it closer to the Sun.
Southern California residents took to social media after a streak of green light was seen falling from the sky Tuesday night. A news photographer's dashcam captured the streak as it fell over the downtown Los Angeles area around 10 p.m.
Dr. Edwin C. Krupp, astronomer and director of Griffith Observatory, said it was not clear what the streak was exactly. Krupp said based on the description, the phenomenon is a fairly common occurrence where material from outer space heats up, like a meteor.
He said it also could be debris from a previous launch.
NBC4 viewers called into the station from San Bernardino County and beyond to report seeing the curious ball of light.
15APR2016 Tiffany Binkley Calvert City, Ky 2230 3-5 N-W green; moon, no I was driving and there were trees all around me, but it looked huge.
15APR2016 Bryan Schaumburg, IL, USA 22:16 PM Central Only seen the last second or two of the burn E-W travel Stopped South West of Roselle Rd, facing SW Greenish White in color, no sound high beam headlight brightness, too dark to see any fragmentation. 7It was already moving fairly slowly when I seen it, and fairly close to the ground, probably below 500 ft. Too short of viewing time for any better guesses or info.
15APR2016 Andrew Rukavina Mundelein, IL USA approx 2215 hour 15 seconds from east to west i was driving south multi colored and very large between the Moon and Venus - very bright and large not sure it was large...it was not a reflection. I pulled over which i never do except once when I saw an amazing display of northern lights it was the biggest thing i've ever seen....I was heading southbound at intersection of 137 and 60 in Mundelein, IL. I had just made the turn onto 60 from 137 and was headed south, so no light pollution to create any illusions... I'm a 59 year old attorney... was not drinking or anything else...it flamed out shortly before it went over the cornfield.
15APR2016 Steve Wilson Rock Island,IL,USA 22:16 in Central Time Zone 3-4 seconds Facing South, I saw a bright white light with a tinge of blue streak from East to West. As bright as Venus on a clear night I'm not sure of fragmentation, but it reminded me of a sparkler as opposed to a single, solid point of light.
15APR2016 Anna St.Charles, IL, USA 22:14 5-10? East to West traveling burst of light/looked like fire. I was driving South on Kautz Rd, near DuPage Airport. A bright ball, looked like fire; it had a tail of blue behind it. I'm not sure I don't think so, maybe behind it. It really looked like it was on fire. I wondered if it was a piece from a plane I was driving, so no photo, Sorry. I know it was something, not sure what. It was not high in the sky, it came across my vision field from left to right (from East to West) as I was driving South. It was cool, but also a little scary. I wondered if it was part of a plane since we were adjacent to DuPage Airport.
15APR2016 Victoriano Berwyn, IL - 2200 5-10secs East to West facing South, green xeon bright fragment trail, green fireball.
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