For space enthusiasts, the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel is dangling a carrot with a cash reward for the first person to spot a big meteorite. The first meteorite hunter to track down a 2.2-pound rock will be awarded the $25,000 prize.
The target region for this hunt is a remote forest near Maine’s border with Canada. The story revealed rocks from space crashed into Earth and may be dispersed across the ground. The museum wants to add the rocks to its collection and is enticing people to join the search party with a reward.
“The unusually bright fireball could be seen in broad daylight around noon Saturday,” said Darryl Pitt, chair of the meteorite division at the museum. “With more people having an awareness, the more people will look — and the greater the likelihood of a recovery.”
NASA believes this is the first time radar spotted a meteorite fall in Maine as four radar sweeps were detected. The space agency said: “Signatures consistent with falling meteorites seen at the time and location reported by eyewitnesses.”
There are no guarantees for those ready to dive into this challenge since the size requirements are still hard to meet for the payout. Pitt said: “The estimated area where the meteorites hit is about a mile wide and stretches for 10-12 miles, all the way into Canada.”
For those who enjoy shooting for the stars, the museum requests participants to do their homework before conducting the search. Learn about what meteorites look like before going out into the forest. Steer clear of private property unless you want to risk getting trespassing fines.
For the lucky person who locates the needle in the haystack, it could be a valuable rare find. Pitt believes these rocks “could easily be worth their weight in gold.”
Source: https://apnews.com/article/meteorite-reward-maine-534c945a8cfaa6d5a21b13066ffd43f2