Who owns a meteorite once it lands on Earth? The landowner? The finder? The state?
When a meteor falls to Earth, once it hits the ground it becomes known as a meteorite.
A meteorite and has the potential to generate attention from the scientific community, as well as making headlines around the world.
After all, it's tricky to think of something so amazing as a space rock hurtling through Earth's atmosphere only to land in your town, village, or even back garden.
Who could forget the recent find of the Winchcombe meteorite or, going back a bit further, the Beddgelert meteorite?
There is also the incredible story of Ann Hodges, the only person recorded being injured by a meteorite, which duly crashed through her roof in Alabama, US in 1954.
Scientists, of course, are interested in meteorites for what they might tell us about the Universe.
These spacerocks are pristine relics left over from the formation of the Solar System, providing clues as to the evolution of our cosmic neighbourhood.
This is, after all, why astronomers study samples from other worlds.
Although by the time a meteor has landed on Earth as a meteorite, admittedly the sample will be less than pristine!
But what happens if you find a meteorite? Is it yours? Better still, what happens if a meteorite happens to land on your property?
Who owns a meteorite?
If you find a meteorite in the UK, it’s yours. You can keep these fossils of the early Solar System in the same way that you can keep fossils that formed on Earth, if you find any.
There are many who don’t agree with this approach of ‘finders keepers’, but there are certainly plenty of shops on the Devon coastline, where many fossils are found, that make a living from selling them.
If you do have a meteorite, you’ll probably want to learn more about its origin and composition, which requires analysis by a professional organisation.
In the USA, if you find a meteorite on your land, you own it.
And if you buy a meteorite from someone who found it on their land, you legally own it too.
Things get more complicated if you find the meteorite on public lands.
You might be allowed to keep it if the land is overseen by the Bureau of Land Management, but there are several stipulations. You can find the full guidelines here and you should always check if you are uncertain.
If you find the meteorite in a National Park or other federal land then it belongs to the Smithsonian Institute.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that some countries have laws that make it illegal to export meteorites.
In Namibia, for example, it is illegal to export Gibeon meteorites.
Some items are still exported, so it’s worth checking where the meteorite was actually found.
If you are based in the UK and do happen to find a meteorite, it's worth getting in touch with the Natural History Museum, as your discovery could provide a real contribution to the scientific study of the Universe.
And not many people can say that.
Have you found a meteorite? Let us know by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com
