The spectacular entry of a meteorite into Earth’s atmosphere over the Eastern Cape has attracted large amounts of interest in the public eye in the past week.
Reports from sightings of the bright flash as it entered the atmosphere have been reported from over 100km away, while the rumblings and thunder as it passed through the sound barrier could be heard as far away as Ceres in the Western Cape – over 200km away. Researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand, Nelson Mandela University, and Rhodes University have worked around the clock to establish various facts about the meteorite, including the probable origin, size and trajectory, and speed as it entered Earth’s atmosphere as well as the possible fall area. The results of their high-adrenaline search for facts about the meteorite, believed to be the size of a car as it entered the atmosphere, will be revealed at a media conference on the campus of the Nelson Mandela University on Tuesday next week. Media are invited to attend the conference. The event will also be live-streamed.
Media conference details:
Venue: The Theatre, Conference Centre, North Campus, Summerstrand, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha
Date: Tuesday, 3 September
Time: 10:00
RSVP: Please RSVP to Zandile Ngwendu at Zandile.Ngwendu@mandela.ac.za and Tiisang Monatisa at tiisang.monatisa@wits.ac.za.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/live/Y70MOtGsQq0
For more information contact:
For Rhodes University
Christelle du Toit
For Wits University
Schalk Mouton
For Nelson Mandela University
Zandile Ngwendu