Wis. man finds rock believed to be meteor fragment

A southwestern Wisconsin man has apparently recovered a fragment from the meteor that lit up Midwestern skies earlier this week.

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison say the man who doesn't want to be identified lent them the rock for two hours Friday morning. The find was first reported by television station WKOW in Madison.

Geology professor John Valley says the fragment is about the size of an unshelled peanut. He says it seems to be legitimate because it's covered with the distinctive blackened crust created when a meteor superheats in the Earth's atmosphere.

Scientists did some superficial analyses Friday but won't be able to do chemical tests unless they can get access to that fragment or others that may be found.

Valley says the man found the fragment after it hit the roof of his home west of Dodgeville Wednesday night.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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