Maine Mineral & Gem Museum Offers $25,000 Reward for Meteorite Fragments from Fireball Seen in New Brunswick, Canada

On Saturday, a fireball was seen cutting across the sky in New Brunswick, Canada, in broad daylight. The event was detected by NASA’s Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Lab, allowing them to calculate the “strewn field” — where fragments of the meteor might be found — near Calais, Maine.

In response, the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum has announced a $25,000 reward for a kilogram of the meteorite. The museum said multiple sonic booms from the fireball could be heard in Maine.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to study a meteorite from this event,” said Darryl Pitt, head of the meteorite division at the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum. “We are offering a $25,000 reward for a kilogram of the meteorite, and we hope that someone who witnessed the fireball will be able to help us locate a sample.”

NASA Doppler radar detected multiple meteorites from the time of the event, the museum said. It is believed that the meteorite fragments could be found in the “strewn field” near Calais, Maine.

The museum is asking anyone who witnessed the fireball to remember its path and contact them if they find any fragments. They are hopeful that someone will be able to help them locate a sample.