A family were left stunned after they discovered their car windscreen was smashed in by a meteorite.
Paul Butler, 55, from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, was watching TV with his family when he heard a “loud bang” outside on Boxing Day. They brushed it off as fireworks and forgot about it for the night. However, when Paul stepped out of his home the following morning, he noticed his parents’ windscreen had been “smashed”.
Paul’s son, Nathan, was also outside when they spotted the wrecked car. After taking a closer look, the 12-year-old discovered a black shiny rock next to the vehicle. The rock, which was around 2cm, didn’t match any of the other stones outside. So Nathan decided to place a magnet next to the rock which revealed his suspicions that the car was smashed by a meteorite.
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The windscreen was completely wrecked
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Image:
Paul Butler)
Online research revealed it was most likely to be a piece of meteorite which plummeted to earth. Nathan said: “I was looking around on the ground near the car and right by the front wheel was a black rock that stood out from all the others. I wondered if it could possibly be a meteorite but wasn’t sure until we used a magnet and researched it online.”
Paul, who runs a firm providing forensic science equipment, added: “We all heard a loud bang in the night but didn’t think anything of it. We assumed it was probably someone letting off a firework. It was only when we came down for breakfast the next morning that I saw my parents’ car windscreen was smashed. I went outside with Nathan and he was looking around and found this strange black rock. It had a strange shape and looked like it had been burned.
Nathan realised the rock was magnetic
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Image:
Joseph Walshe / SWNS)
“After Nathan tested it with a magnet we looked online and it looked like it was a meteorite. It is the only logical explanation for what caused the damage because it wasn’t there when my dad drove into the driveway. It must have happened on the driveway. The glass was inside the car and was covering the dashboard and driver’s seat. The impact looks like it splintered the glass and made a fair bit of damage but it’s very lucky no one was inside at the time.”
Paul’s parents Graham and June were forced to drive their Toyota to a nearby garage where they had to explain the billion-to-one cause of the damage. Paul added: “We found out it was about a billion-to-one chance of a meteorite hitting the car in our driveway so we’ve started buying lottery tickets.” Nathan plans to take the space rock into Myton School in Warwick where he attends, to show off to his classmates.