England (Commonwealth Union) – Meteorites are solid rocks from outer space, which have been received with fascination across the world, hence it was no surprise that space enthusiasts across Britain were excited about the Winchcombe meteorite which had landed in a driveway in Gloucestershire.
The meteorite was found to be rare carbonaceous with components of extra-terrestrial water and others. The meteorite may possibly reveal the origin of the world’s oceans according to researchers.
A recent study led by experts from the Natural History Museum and the University of Glasgow demonstrated the orbital history and first laboratory evaluation of the Winchcombe meteorite, found just hours after its amazing fireball lit the skies across the UK in February 2021. The Natural History Museum’s Dr Ashley King, who is an author of the paper, said: “The rapid retrieval and curation of Winchcombe make it one of the most pristine meteorites available for analysis, offering scientists a tantalizing glimpse back through time to the original composition of the solar system 4.6-billion-years-ago.”
The evaluation of the Winchcombe meteorite by experts worldwide, commenced within days of the landing. Winchcombe is a rare CM carbonaceous chondrite with around 2% carbon and is the 1st ever meteorite of this kind, discovered in the UK. Carrying out detailed imaging and chemical evaluation, researchers determined that Winchcombe had roughly 11% extra-terrestrial water by weight, majority of which is locked-up in minerals produced as chemical reactions between fluids and rocks that occurred on its parent asteroid in the earliest days of the solar system.
“One of the biggest questions asked of the scientific community is how did we get here? This analysis on the Winchcombe meteorite gives insight into how the Earth came to have water – the source of so much life,” said Dr Luke Daly, who lecturers in Planetary Geoscience at the University of Glasgow and also an author for the paper.
