[cite_start]**Jay Shaffer:** 3, 2, 1. Welcome to the Starcast for the week of November 30th, 2025[cite: 13]. [cite_start]I'm your host, Jay Shaffer, and with me is my co-host, Mike Lewinski[cite: 13]. [cite_start]Hello, Mike[cite: 14]. [cite_start]So Mike, what's our space weather looking like over the next couple days[cite: 14]?

[cite_start]**Mike Lewinski:** Good morning, Jay[cite: 15]. [cite_start]Jay, we've got some excitement[cite: 16]. [cite_start]Last week, we had a, or sorry, two weeks ago, we had a big sunspot that produced a lot of activity, and we got a great solar storm here on Earth[cite: 16, 17]. [cite_start]And now, we have a new giant sunspot that is emerging[cite: 18]. [cite_start]Over the limb of the sun, it has already kicked off a M6 class flare, at least, maybe larger[cite: 19]. [cite_start]It was observed from Mars[cite: 20]. [cite_start]And it's turning now to face us, and it has[cite: 20]. [cite_start]This is Sunspot 4294 on the southern hemisphere[cite: 21]. [cite_start]And we've also got a big coronal hole that is currently facing the Earth[cite: 22]. [cite_start]And so we are expecting wind from that to hit the Earth December 3rd and 4th[cite: 23]. [cite_start]So, consequently, between Sunspot Group 4294 and the coronal hole, our forecasts are somewhat elevated compared to a week ago[cite: 24, 25]. [cite_start]We have a 65% chance of an M-class flare[cite: 25]. [cite_start]And a 15% chance of an X-class flare[cite: 26]. [cite_start]And then for geomagnetic storms here at mid-latitudes[cite: 26]. [cite_start]We've got a 30% chance of active conditions in the next 24 hours[cite: 27]. [cite_start]Dropping to 10% in the range of 24 to 48 hours[cite: 28]. [cite_start]Up at higher latitudes, however, the chance of a severe storm is closer to 40% for the next day, and dropping to 15%[cite: 29]. [cite_start]In the 24 to 48 hour range[cite: 30]. [cite_start]So, the sun is pretty active, and we'll see what Sunspot Group 4294 does to us[cite: 31]. I'm hoping tomorrow we have enough clear skies. [cite_start]I can get a picture of it[cite: 32]. [cite_start]So, with that, what's happening in the sky, this night sky this week, Jay[cite: 33]?

[cite_start]**Jay Shaffer:** Well, we just passed the first quarter moon, and this Thursday coming up on December 4th, we'll bring the full moon[cite: 34, 35]. [cite_start]And that will be exactly full at 6:14 PM[cite: 36]. [cite_start]Eastern Standard Time[cite: 37]. [cite_start]And this one's another supermoon, slightly closer, bigger, and brighter than your average full moon[cite: 37]. [cite_start]And Jupiter is also quite bright in the sky, and you should be able to see it near the moon and the constellation Gemini this week[cite: 38]. [cite_start]And if you were saying that we might have a geomagnetic storm[cite: 39]. [cite_start]On the 4th, that, of course, will… the full moon will definitely impact whether or not we can see the Northern lights at kind of these mid-latitudes[cite: 40, 41]. [cite_start]And then, speaking of Gemini, it's still about 2 weeks until the Geminid meteor shower[cite: 42]. [cite_start]It peaks in mid-December[cite: 43]. [cite_start]The Geminids are expected to reach a maximum activity on the night of December 13th and 14th[cite: 43]. [cite_start]This year's viewing should be excellent, as it will be the waning crescent moon, and it will be rising, the moon will be rising several hours after midnight[cite: 44]. [cite_start]And, so several hours after Gemini has risen, and that is the radiant for the Geminid meteor shower[cite: 45]. [cite_start]In space news, we've got a couple stories about lunar and Martian rocks, Mike[cite: 46]?

[cite_start]**Mike Lewinski:** Yes, Jay, starting with the lunar rock, scientists analyzing a tiny sealed sample of trilite dust collected by the Apollo 17 mission in 1972[cite: 47]. [cite_start]Have discovered sulfur material that may predate the moon[cite: 48]. [cite_start]Possibly constituting a 4.5 billion year old relic of the early solar system[cite: 49]. [cite_start]Using advanced mass spectrometry[cite: 50]. [cite_start]Which was not available when this was collected in 1972[cite: 50]. [cite_start]The team, led by planetary scientist James Doten of Brown University, found that while some parts of the sample showed expected isotopic ratios consistent with lunar volcanism[cite: 50, 51]. [cite_start]Other sections contained very depleted levels of the sulfur-33 isotope[cite: 52]. [cite_start]The signature has never before been seen in lunar material[cite: 53]. [cite_start]But it is one that forms from interaction with ultraviolet light in a thin atmosphere[cite: 54]. [cite_start]So this depletion is significantly different from Earth's composition [cite: 55][cite_start]. and suggests two major possibilities[cite: 55]. [cite_start]First, that the sulfur formed within the moon's primordial atmosphere during its cooling magma ocean phase[cite: 56]. [cite_start]Or that it is a preserved fragment of Thea[cite: 57]. [cite_start]A Mire-sized object believed to have impacted Earth to form the moon[cite: 58]. [cite_start]Which would offer a rare window into the formation of our nearest celestial body[cite: 59]. [cite_start]And, Jay, I'm going to let you take the story about the Martian rock[cite: 60].

[cite_start]**Jay Shaffer:** Thanks, Mike[cite: 61]. [cite_start]The Perseverance rover has found a possible meteorite on Mars[cite: 61]. [cite_start]NASA's Perseverance rover has encountered an unusually shaped, high-standing rock that they've named Philip Suckslaw[cite: 62]. [cite_start]Philip Sox lot on Mars, that the scientists suspect is a meteorite[cite: 63]. [cite_start]Identified for its distinct sculpted appearance compared with the surrounding bedrock, the rock was analyzed using the SuperCam instrument[cite: 64]. [cite_start]Revealing the elemental composition is high in iron and nickel[cite: 65]. [cite_start]This combination is typically associated with iron-nickel meteorites, suggesting that the rock formed in the core of a large asteroid [cite: 66][cite_start]. elsewhere in the solar system before landing on Mars[cite: 67]. [cite_start]If it's confirmed after further investigation, this would be the first iron-nickel meteorite found by Perseverance in the Jezero crater area[cite: 67, 68]. [cite_start]Adding to the list of previous Marvelous rovers, like Curiosity, Opportunity, and Spirit, which have all encountered similar meteorites[cite: 69]. [cite_start]So, for today's topic, we're going to talk about meteorites, and meteorongs[cite: 70]. [cite_start]And before we dive in[cite: 71]. [cite_start]Today is coincidentally the anniversary of the first known person [cite: 71][cite_start]. to be injured by a falling meteorite and survive[cite: 72]. [cite_start]On November 30th [cite: 72][cite_start]. which is today's date, in 1954[cite: 73]. [cite_start]Ann Hodges was napping on the couch in the living room of her Skyla Lolonga, Alabama home[cite: 73]. [cite_start]At 2:46 PM[cite: 74]. [cite_start]An 8.5 pound, or 3.85 kilogram rock crashed through a roof [cite: 74][cite_start]. bounced off the console radio and hit her hip, leaving a large bruise[cite: 75]. [cite_start]The rock, which at first turned over to the Air Force, and then the Smithsonian [cite: 76][cite_start]. was actually a chondrite meteorite[cite: 77]. [cite_start]Made up of iron and nickel[cite: 77]. [cite_start]Well, Hodges didn't suffer any lasting physical effects, she became an overnight celebrity, and it was an uncomfortable situation for a very private hazards[cite: 78]. [cite_start]She became entangled in a court case with her landlord over the ownership of the meteorite, and in 1964, she and her husband divorced, in part[cite: 79]. [cite_start]Due to the stress of the incident it put on their relationship[cite: 80]. [cite_start]In 1966, ready to be done with a meteorite and the destruction that it brought to her life[cite: 81]. [cite_start]Hodges donated it to the Alabama Museum of Natural History, where it is still on display[cite: 82]. [cite_start]So, Mike, what exactly are meteorites[cite: 82]?

[cite_start]**Mike Lewinski:** Well, Jay, we have discussed in a previous episode some of the distinctions, but I want to just recap[cite: 83]. [cite_start]That there are 3 things that start with meteor that we might talk about[cite: 84]. [cite_start]The first would be meteoroids[cite: 85]. [cite_start]With a D at the end, these are rocks that are still in space[cite: 85]. [cite_start]Ranging in size from very small grains of dust to small asteroids or parts of asteroids[cite: 86]. [cite_start]A meteor is a meteoroid that has entered the Earth's atmosphere at high speed[cite: 87]. [cite_start]And burning… and is burning up[cite: 87]. [cite_start]This is a fireball or a shooting star[cite: 88]. [cite_start]And by the way, it doesn't have to be just Earth's atmosphere[cite: 88]. [cite_start]We see meteors on other planets like Mars and Venus[cite: 89]. [cite_start]And then a meteorite[cite: 90]. [cite_start]With a T at the end, is a meteoroid that has survived a trip through[cite: 91]. [cite_start]The atmosphere, and hit the surface of the planet, be it Earth or other planet[cite: 92]. [cite_start]And in this case, it is called a meteorite[cite: 93]. [cite_start]And meteorites get divided into a couple classes[cite: 94]. [cite_start]We have those that are composed of silica material[cite: 94]. [cite_start]Iron materials, iron meteorites, largely composed of ferro nickel and a stony iron meteorites that contain both metallic and rocky elements[cite: 94, 95]. [cite_start]And by the way, you mentioned that Ann Hodges was hit by a chondrite meteorite[cite: 96]. [cite_start]Which is of that stony hybrid variety[cite: 97]. [cite_start]And we're going to include in our show notes a video, an article with a video[cite: 98]. [cite_start]Last a year ago in July[cite: 98]. [cite_start]July 2024, a doorbell camera in Prince Edward Island [cite: 99][cite_start]. captured the sound and video of a meteorite striking near the home's entrance[cite: 100]. [cite_start]And that is believed to be the first such recording[cite: 101]. [cite_start]Of a meteorite impact that included audio with it[cite: 102]. [cite_start]So, refined meteorites on Earth, because they have survived the trip through the atmosphere, and yet we, so often, make mistakes in those identifications[cite: 103]. [cite_start]Jay, can you tell us how to identify a rock as a meteorite[cite: 104]?

[cite_start]**Jay Shaffer:** Yeah, so, to separate a meteorite from what we commonly call a meteorong, there's four most critical tests determine if a rock is a meteorite[cite: 105, 106]. [cite_start]That is to check its density, its magnetism[cite: 107]. [cite_start]It's for a fusion crust and internal composition[cite: 108]. [cite_start]Most rocks that look spacey [cite: 108][cite_start]. are actually common terrestrial rocks called meteorgs[cite: 109]. [cite_start]And these include hematite, magnetite[cite: 109]. [cite_start]And industrial slag[cite: 110]. [cite_start]So it's best to perform the following test in order[cite: 110]. [cite_start]Number one is the magnetism test[cite: 111]. [cite_start]Nearly all meteorites contain high amount of nickel-iron metal, which is strongly magnetic[cite: 112]. [cite_start]And so the meteorite result, the strong, the rock should have a strongly attract standard refrigerator magnet[cite: 112]. [cite_start]Or effective compass[cite: 113]. [cite_start]And even stony meteorites, which make up about 95% of the finds[cite: 114]. [cite_start]Contain enough iron flex to attract a strong magnet[cite: 115]. [cite_start]Of course, the caveat is that some Earth rocks, like magnetite and certain types of slag, are also strongly magnetic[cite: 116]. [cite_start]So this test is just a first round screen, not a definitive proof[cite: 117]. [cite_start]The next one is the density or weight test[cite: 118]. [cite_start]Because of their iron content, meteorites are generally much denser than common terrestrial rocks of the same size[cite: 119]. [cite_start]They will feel surprisingly heavy when you lift them[cite: 120]. [cite_start]A meteorite should feel unusually heavy for its size, like a piece of metal [cite: 121][cite_start]. or a dense iron ore[cite: 121]. [cite_start]And definitely heavier than your standard rock[cite: 122]. [cite_start]And of course, the caveat being, again, that some dense earth rocks, like magnetite, hematite, and slag, can also feel heavy for their size[cite: 123]. [cite_start]So, the next test that we wanted would be what's called the fusion crust test[cite: 124]. [cite_start]And as a meteoroid enters the atmosphere, its outer surface melts from the intense heat, creating a unique shell that we call a fusion crust[cite: 125]. [cite_start]And a common term that we use for this is the charcoal briquette[cite: 126]. [cite_start]So that it kind of looks like a charcoal briquette[cite: 127]. [cite_start]So… On a meteorite, you'd look for a thin, dark, matte, or sometimes glossy black rind that looks distinctly different from the rocks' interior[cite: 127]. [cite_start]This crust can be slightly cracked or have a few faint flow lines where the molten rat ran during the flight[cite: 128]. [cite_start]If it's been on Earth for a long time, the crust may have weathered into a rusty brown color[cite: 129]. [cite_start]And kind of a unique feature is some user rights, especially irons, may show Regmoglitz[cite: 130]. [cite_start]And so this is, let me spell that[cite: 131]. [cite_start]R-e-g-m-a-j-g[cite: 132]. [cite_start]L-Y-P-T-S, so one of those… another scientifically impossible-to-pronounce words[cite: 132]. [cite_start]But, we'll just call them thumbprint-like depressions on the surface[cite: 133]. [cite_start]Caused by atmospheric ablation[cite: 134]. [cite_start]So now, for meteor wrong indicators, if you're seeing bubbles[cite: 134]. [cite_start]Or vesicles[cite: 135]. [cite_start]True meteorites are dense and solid[cite: 135]. [cite_start]If the rock has small holes, vesicles, or bubbly porous structure[cite: 136]. [cite_start]It's almost certainly volcanic rock, basalt, or industrial slag[cite: 137]. [cite_start]And, if it's quartz[cite: 137]. [cite_start]If the rock contains quartz crystals[cite: 138]. [cite_start]Meteorites do not contain the mineral quartz, so that would definitely identify as a meteor wrong[cite: 139]. [cite_start]And finally, we have the streak test, and this is a little bit more difficult, but[cite: 140]. [cite_start]The streak is the color of the powdered mineral left behind when a rock is scraped across an unglazed ceramic surface, like the back of a tile or[cite: 140, 141]. [cite_start]Like, the bottom of a coffee mug, for example[cite: 142]. [cite_start]And so for a meteorite, it will leave practically no streak, or at most very faint light gray street, whereas meteorongs will leave either a dark black or a reddish streak[cite: 143]. [cite_start]And so[cite: 144]. [cite_start]And finally, if you're more into geology and have the means to do it where you can actually carefully cut or grind a small flat window on the rock[cite: 145]. [cite_start]You can look for metal flakes[cite: 146]. [cite_start]Most stony meteorites will show tiny, bright, reflective flecks of the nickel, metal, iron[cite: 147]. [cite_start]Metals scattered throughout the interior rock matrix[cite: 147]. [cite_start]These are often easy to spot under magnification[cite: 148]. [cite_start]And then when we talked about chondrite meteorites, or chondrules, the most common type of stony meteorite is [cite: 149][cite_start]. you can cut a chondrite and see tiny, colorful, millimeter-sized spherical structure[cite: 150]. [cite_start]Like, Grant's like grains of sand held together[cite: 151]. [cite_start]And these are not found on earth rocks[cite: 151]. [cite_start]And finally, on iron meteorites, the interior will be almost entirely metallic[cite: 152]. [cite_start]Usually it's silver gray and shiny [cite: 153][cite_start]. etched with acid, they will display a unique crystal pattern called[cite: 153]. [cite_start]The Widmanstätten pattern[cite: 154]. [cite_start]If your rock passes all these tests[cite: 155]. [cite_start]It's worth contacting the geology department at a local university or the state geological survey, or a major natural history museum for a formal analysis[cite: 155]. [cite_start]So, out of curiosity[cite: 156]. [cite_start]I asked Gemini, AI, on Google[cite: 157]. [cite_start]What was the probability of finding an extant meteorite on my 20-acre lot near Trace Piedras, New Mexico[cite: 158]? [cite_start]And the answer it gave was… the answer was the probability of finding an extant meteorite on a specific 20-acre lot near Trace Beatrice, New Mexico is extremely low[cite: 159]. [cite_start]Wow[cite: 159]. [cite_start]New Mexico has a relatively high density of found meteorites compared to the national average[cite: 160]. [cite_start]The sheer size difference between the area of my lot and the area studied makes the probability very small[cite: 161]. [cite_start]So, the rate at which new meteorites fall to the ground is generally considered to be fairly uniform across the Earth's surface[cite: 162]. [cite_start]But a statistical estimate for the U.S. Found… suggests that one meteorite is found, and this is important, is found [cite: 163][cite_start]. for every 2,000 square miles[cite: 164]. [cite_start]So that's approximately 1.2 million acres[cite: 165]. [cite_start]Or 1.3 million acres, give or take[cite: 166]. [cite_start]So, the chance of a meteorite having fallen on any given 20-acre parcel over a long period, let's say 200 years, is about 1 in 64,000[cite: 167]. [cite_start]And so, this is the probability of a fall in a single lifetime of discovery, not the absolute probability, and it only considers found meteorites, not all that have fallen[cite: 168, 169]. [cite_start]And this leads to what we call recovery bias[cite: 169]. [cite_start]Now, New Mexico has a high-found meteorite density[cite: 170, 171]. [cite_start]So this, instead of the one for every 2,000 square miles, New Mexico has[cite: 172]. [cite_start]1.9 pounds per thousand square miles[cite: 173]. [cite_start]But this is due to several recovery factors, not necessarily due to a higher fall rate in the area[cite: 174]. [cite_start]The first of these is what we call the desert pavement effect[cite: 175]. [cite_start]A disproportionately high number of fines, over 70 in New Mexico, have come from Roosevelt County in the eastern part of the state[cite: 176]. [cite_start]Where a unique combination of high winds and air conditions have created wind-excavated basins[cite: 177]. [cite_start]Often called desert pavement[cite: 177]. [cite_start]This process concentrates and preserves meteorites over thousands of years [cite: 178][cite_start]. making them easier to spot against the light-covered soil[cite: 179]. [cite_start]So, we find more meteorites, in the desert, obviously, because they're not covered by vegetation[cite: 180, 181]. [cite_start]And so, my particular property, we're covered with big sagebrush, so it would be kind of difficult to, to, to, to find meteorites [cite: 182, 183][cite_start]. but that's not going to stop me from going out with my metal detector and keep looking[cite: 184]. [cite_start]So this brings me to the New Mexico Meteor Array Project, of which I am a member[cite: 183]. [cite_start]So, the New Mexico Meteor Array is a series of [cite: 184][cite_start]. an array of cameras that are part of the Global Meteor Network[cite: 185]. [cite_start]And so the Global Meteor Network was founded in Europe, and where they were with some specific software[cite: 186]. [cite_start]And hardware cameras arranged in an array of citizen scientists so that we could use that software to triangulate the path[cite: 187, 188]. [cite_start]Of any meteor, meteors that were caught on the cameras[cite: 189]. [cite_start]And so, the New Mexico meteor array was a project that was organized by a professor at the University of New Mexico named Peter Eschman[cite: 190, 191]. [cite_start]And it's basically set up over New Mexico and Arizona, where volunteers set up the camera and the software running on a small computer, like a Raspberry Pi[cite: 192]. [cite_start]And then that data is accumulated every night[cite: 193]. [cite_start]And basically charts any meteors that were detected[cite: 194]. [cite_start]And so[cite: 195]. [cite_start]Of course, recently, this has been… we've been getting meteor wrongs in the sense of meteors in the detector because of some of the satellite flares that are occurring [cite: 196, 197][cite_start]. from the Starlink satellites[cite: 198]. [cite_start]And the software's being evolved to basically filter these out and look strictly for meteors[cite: 198]. [cite_start]And so, from these triangulated trajectories, the New Mexico meteor ray has actually been able to chart[cite: 199, 200]. [cite_start]Where they think a meteorite would have landed[cite: 201]. [cite_start]And so[cite: 202]. [cite_start]If there's a particularly bright, fireball meteor that looks like it may actually impact the ground [cite: 203][cite_start]. from the data of that particular night[cite: 204]. [cite_start]They will actually form a team of meteorite hunters, and they will go out and look for that meteorite from that [cite: 205, 206][cite_start]. from that meteor that was sighted[cite: 207]. [cite_start]And so, this is, of course, not the only thing [cite: 208][cite_start]. place that charged meteors[cite: 209]. [cite_start]Another one is, of course, the[cite: 209]. [cite_start]What's the meteor one that we you and I report to always, Mike[cite: 210]?

[cite_start]**Mike Lewinski:** Yes, the American Meteor Society[cite: 201].

[cite_start]**Jay Shaffer:** Okay, I'm sorry[cite: 202]. [cite_start]Yeah, so there's also the American Meteor Society and the International Meteor Society[cite: 202]. [cite_start]That charts and records meteor sightings[cite: 203]. [cite_start]And so, there's people out there that are commercial meteorite hunters[cite: 204]. [cite_start]And they are in it for the money, because meteorites are actually quite valuable[cite: 205]. [cite_start]And so, they monitor these media charting sites, and look for meteors that might [cite: 206, 207][cite_start]. have generated a meteorite, and they actually go out in the field and look for these meteorites, and they may go, if it's like a farmer's field, they get permission from the farmer and try to cut him a deal where, a percentage[cite: 208, 209]. [cite_start]And that they can go out and recover those meteorites[cite: 210]. [cite_start]However, this is kind of frowned upon and considered unethical by most scientist[cite: 210, 211]. [cite_start]So, in the New Mexico media array, for example, it's kind of one of the [cite: 212][cite_start]. ethical preambles to becoming a member is that you're not in it for profit and that if you find a meteorite, that you're going to turn it over [cite: 213][cite_start]. to competent researchers, whether it be the University of New Mexico or some other [cite: 214][cite_start]. scientific organization[cite: 215]. [cite_start]So, that's, if you're out and you're[cite: 216]. [cite_start]And you can go out and hunt meteorites for fun and for profit, or you can go out and act as a scientist and look for meteorites[cite: 217]. [cite_start]Anything else that you would like to add to that, Mike[cite: 218]?

[cite_start]**Mike Lewinski:** Just, I agree it's so important that we do collect as much of this material for science purposes as possible that I think[cite: 219, 220]. [cite_start]Heroes are the people who are donating this to their local universities or other institutions for research purposes[cite: 220].

[cite_start]**Jay Shaffer:** Yeah, and I just wanted to hit one more last little thing, and that is what we call meteorite dust[cite: 221]. [cite_start]And, actually, a lot of these meteors that burn up in the atmosphere [cite: 222][cite_start]. actually generate dust in the atmosphere[cite: 223]. [cite_start]And this dust, of course, due to gravity, it eventually falls to Earth[cite: 224]. [cite_start]And so[cite: 225]. [cite_start]You can actually collect meteor dust[cite: 226]. [cite_start]And it's basically kind of like putting out a large, if you put out a large tarp[cite: 227]. [cite_start]And, and collect dust on it, there's a certain, and then[cite: 228]. [cite_start]Pass a magnet over that dust, you can often accumulate on the magnet [cite: 229][cite_start]. small spherals[cite: 230]. [cite_start]Spheres of magnetic dust that came from meteors[cite: 230].  I just think that's very cool[cite: 227].

[cite_start]**Jay Shaffer:** Okay[cite: 228]. [cite_start]So, we want to thank all of our listeners for checking out this podcast, and be sure to comment, like, and subscribe, and let us know what, like, you'd like to hear more about[cite: 229]. [cite_start]You can also check out our individual websites[cite: 230]. [cite_start]Mike's is WildernessVagabonds.com[cite: 230]. [cite_start]And mine is skylapser.com[cite: 230]. [cite_start]If you'd like to help us out, you can buy us a coffee at buymeacoffee.com slash skylapser[cite: 231]. [cite_start]The intro music is fanfare for Space by Kevin McLeod from the YouTube audio library[cite: 232]. [cite_start]From the Deep Sage Nine Observatory, this is Jay Shaffer 
[cite_start]**Mike Lewinski:** Mike Lewinski[cite: 233].and wishing you all clear, dark skies[cite: 233].