Share
While the chances of being struck by a hurtling chunk of space rock are thought to be billions to one – with multiple jackpot lottery wins more likely – that’s hardly to arrive as much comfort for ‘lucky’ German teenager Gerrit Blank.
The Williamett Meteor... which did NOT hit young Gerrit Blank. Image: ifindkarma/Flickr.
Plodding through his usual morning routine and heading for school in Essen, 14-year-old Blank was suddenly shocked to see the morning sky light up as a blazing meteorite plummeted down towards him at a speed of 30,000mph (approx. 48,000kph).
Unable to react quickly enough to avoid the onrushing lump of galactic matter, Blank was struck on the hand by the pea-sized meteorite, which was deflected into the street beside him where it gouged out a crater of more than a foot in length.
And the tarmac wasn’t the only thing left damaged by the tiny but potentially deadly white-hot meteorite, leaving young Blank with a sizeable scar across his hand.
“At first I just saw a large ball of light and then I suddenly felt a pain in my hand,” explained the teenager after his lucky escape, “Then a split second after that, there was an enormous bang like a crash of thunder.”
Although Blank walked away relatively unscathed from the meteorite encounter, the impact knocked him clean off his feet while the accompanying sound wave left his ears ringing for several hours.
According to scientists who retrieved and conducted chemical analysis upon the small piece of rock, it did indeed come from outer space.
The Tech Herald: Earth heading for collision with Venus or Mars
The Tech Herald: Canada launches asteroid-hunting satellite
Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter.
Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group.
Interested in a more interactive TTH? Join our Facebook Group Want regular updates from The Tech Herald? Follow us on Twitter
Advertising
Comment on this Story