http://www.kens5.com/home/10-year-old-boy-discovers--100954269.html
Leon Springs' 10-year-old boy claims meteorite discovery by Sarah Forgany / KENS 5 Posted on August 17, 2010 at 10:56 PM LEON SPRINGS -- A family out of Leon Springs had a strange experience Monday night. It was 8:45 p.m. when 10-year-old Benjamin Gardea says he stepped outside his house for a few minutes "I was outside near the garden hose, cleaning off some dirty shoes," Gardea said. Suddenly he heard a loud sound like an old lawn mower trying to start. At first Gardea says he thought the electricity lines were malfunctioning and sparks were flying out. "I looked up and I saw this fireball," Gardea said, as he stared at the sky. "I was scared and at first I thought martians." Ben's mother, Marianna Gardea, was inside the house when she says Gardea ran to her screaming for help. "He walked in just pale as a ghost, and said, 'Mom, something happened outside, I don't know what it was,'" Marianna Gardea said. "Finally a meteor just came to our mind." The family walked outside to check out what Gardea had just witnessed. Gardea said they looked for a while and finally found this piece of rock where he believes the fireball touched the ground before his eyes. "We got a hammer and a chisel and we knocked it out, we looked at it and It looked like a meteorite," Gardea said. KENS 5 took the rock to UTSA'S Dr. Eric Schlegel. He admitted that finding a meteorite is extremely rare. "I think it's a very standard rock that comes out of Texas," Schlegel said. Based on its weight and shape, Dr. Schlegel says it could have easily been a rock and a piece of the asphalt. "It's not heavy enough to be a meteorite," Schlegel said. "A meteorite for this size would be closer to a pound and this is only an ounce or two." But Schlegel says the fireball Gardea witnessed that night was very real. He adds that it could have easily been a part of the Perseids meteor shower. Despite that outcome, Gardea says he'll hold on to the special sight, with a story to share for years to come. "I'm going to put it in a glass case, a thing to pass on to generations," Gardea said. ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
