* Astronomy

When scores of people in Gujarat saw glowing fireballs falling from the sky in July this year little did they realise that these fragments from outer space were one of the "oldest bodies found in our solar system".
Scientists at Physicial Research Laboratory (PRL) studying the meteor samples that fell in different areas of Kutch and Saurashtra are thrilled with the "discovery of a rare chondrule inside one of the fragments of the meteorite known as a Chondritre Meteorite in scientific terminology".

"Chondrules are small spherical ball like formations that are found inside a chondrite meteor. They are very rare to find and are believed to have been formed around two million years after our sun was formed. Scientists are excited with the find as it will give a great opportunity to study how our solar system originated and developed over a period of time" - Dr J N Goswami, PRL Director .

Chondrites are stony meteorites that have not been modified due to melting or differentiation of the parent body. They were formed when various types of dust and small grains that were present in the early solar system came together to form primitive asteroids.
Though chondrites are a common type of meteor that crash into the earth every year, the discovery of a chondrule inside a small sample piece of the meteorite will help in collecting data about the composition of meteors.
The meteor shower took all by surprise when it streaked across the dark night creating a boom as it fell on fields, making a gaping hole though some roof tops.

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Was it raining 'meteorite fragments' again on Wednesday night and that too in one particular locality? When excited residents, including mayor Dhansukh Bhanderi, landed up at the spot and forensic science laboratory officials checked the fragments, the meteorite alarm turned out to be false.

There is no lull in the excitement surrounding meteorite fragments in Rajkot. On Wednesday night, word spread like wildfire that meteorite pieces had been found at a bungalow on Kalawad Road area.
Eventually, the fragments turned out be nothing but pieces of coal possibly thrown by a girl from a neighbouring house.
And it was not just thousands of people who rushed across, a large number of politicians and officials, including municipal standing committee chairman Nitin Bhardwaj, chief fire officer RK Maheshwari and mamlatdar AV Bhojani, also reached the spot.
Jashubha Gadhvi, security guard of the closed bungalow, informed the fire brigade office on Nirmala Convent Road, about the black stone pieces found from the courtyard. The officials inspected the entire society, but the pieces were found in one bungalow only.
While inspecting the society, officials found a bucket full of coal on the terrace of an adjoining bungalow. Upon inquiring, officials learnt that a seven-year-old girl, Riddhi Pala, threw pieces of coals at the closed bungalow belonging to Ishwarbhai Mansata, who shifted to Mumbai few years ago.
It's not quite clear why the little girl had been flinging coal in her neighbourhood. Several other claims on meteorite pieces came pouring in from different parts of Saurashtra-Kutch region, ever since authorities announced that residents should inform them about 'strange substances.'

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Fragments of meteorites did fall in and around Vandhiya village of Bhachau taluka near Surajbari bridge linking Kutch and Saurashtra. The recovery was made from two houses of the village on Monday night.

With this confirmation scholars in the field of astronomy are making a beeline for the border district of Kutch.
According to district collector Dhananjay Trivedi, the celestial pieces — looking like betelnut — were collected by Naghji Kathad Gohil and Dost Mohammad Traya, who later handed them over to police inspector of Adhoi village, SH Sarada. Sarada said the pieces have a rough surface and also shine.
A police party was sent to the area to recover other pieces of the meteor, which were reported to have fallen in Lakhasar village near Vandhiya.

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The Geological Survey of India (GSI) on Tuesday sent two teams comprising senior GSI officials to Kutch and Saurashtra to collect the samples of meteorites reported to have been witnessed over parts of these regions on Monday night.

The GSI authorities have, meanwhile, cautioned local people against touching the meteorites if found, for they may contain radioactive material. The samples will be sent to GSI’s central repository in Kolkata for detailed study. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Narendra Modi appealed to residents in the region to contact local government officials, if they come across meteorite remains. He stated that it was a rare occurrence and any information on such remains could help in its scientific study.
Deputy Director General Dr R S Goyal, GSI, Western Region, who rushed here on Tuesday from his Jaipur headquarters on hearing the news of the meteorite shower, told media persons that one team of GSI officials would visit Kutch, while another would visit Rajkot and Jamnagar to interact with local authorities and people and collect details of the meteorites.
Goyal said the objects were reported to have been found only in Bandhiya and Vatkar villages of Bhachau taluka in Kutch, while the Rajkot and Jamnagar district collectors had informed him that the meteorites had been only sighted by local people in certain areas, and that nothing was found in these two Saurashtran districts.
The GSI officials, armed with radioactivity measuring machines, will first examine the samples for radioactivity and then send them to Kolkata. The repository could take about a month to submit its findings. The GSI official said a vernacular daily in Rajkot had procured some pieces of meteorites from Kutch to be displayed in its office for public viewing.

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