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A man in South Australia experienced a shocking encounter with what is believed to be a meteorite, sparking intrigue among experts.
Dr. Andrew Melville-Smith, a veterinarian from Whyalla, was returning home in his newly purchased Tesla on the Port August Highway, roughly 40 kilometers north of Port Germein, on the calm night of October 19. Suddenly, he was jolted by a “really violent explosion.”
“I was disoriented for a moment. I recall regaining my senses to find myself covered in glass shards, while my wife exclaimed, ‘the car’s blown up, the car’s blown up,’” Melville-Smith recounted to 9news.com.au.
The interior of the Tesla was filled with shattered glass and a pungent white smoke that smelled as if the vehicle was on fire, yet the car continued to operate.
Both Melville-Smith and his wife, Jo, were left shaken and sustained minor cuts but were otherwise unharmed.
“It was really scary at the time. One minute we were fine, the next minute we were in absolute chaos,” he said.
Melville-Smith pulled over and noticed the windscreen had been hit by something.
Whatever it was had left a mysterious crater-like dent and melted part of the glass, which was warm to the touch.
“There is farmland, no industry. It was a calm night. There’s no rain, no lightning,” Melville-Smith said.
“We looked at all the camera footage, and we couldn’t see a darn thing. It’s just black. There’s nothing to see. There’s no flash, nothing. It was so fast wasn’t even captured on the cameras.”
Melville-Smith believes all evidence points to a meteorite collision.
“When you rule everything else out, and impossible is the only thing that is possible. Maybe impossible is the possible,” he said.
“The next day, we took it to a windscreen place and they said they’ve never seen anything like it.”
Melville-Smith contacted the South Australia Museum, which oversees all reports of meteorite crashes, to investigate.
SA Museum Minerals and Meteorites Collection Manager Dr Kieran Meaney was initially sceptical, but now believes it may have been a meteorite strike.
“We get a lot of meteorite inquiries at the museum, and most of the time they turn out to be a rock from Earth that is doing a very good impersonation of a meteorite,” he said.
“So, my initial thought was, nah, there’s no way this is going to be the real deal.
“And then once I looked at all the details and the glass of his windscreen seems to have melted a little bit, and the acrylic layers in the glass have discolouration, almost like they’ve been burnt.
“It was certainly hit by something, and it was something hot, and we don’t have another good explanation for what else it could have been.”
Melville-Smith believes the chances of a meteorite strike on his moving car were one in trillions, while the SA Museum said it was unable to find an instance like this recorded before.
“If it is a meteorite, this is so rare,” he said.
Tesla and SA Museum experts have inspected the still-intact windscreen today and delicately removed it for examination.
SA Museum Director of Collections and Research Adam Moriarty said the team will work with partners to analyse the windscreen and associated debris to establish whether it was a meteorite.
“Other possibilities include road debris kicked up by passing vehicles, and even falling satellite debris,” he said.
“It should be remembered that the chances of a meteorite strike on a moving vehicle are extremely remote, but the museum is keen to keep an open mind.”
It will take time to analyse the windscreen.
If the results come back positive for a meteorite strike, the museum will organise a field trip to the location to try and find it.
South Australia has a long history of meteorite findings dating back to 1875 with the discovery of the Yardea meteorite in the Gawler Ranges.
State legislation dictates that all meteorites found are the property of the Crown and must be held by the SA Museum, due to their significant scientific importance.
The museum has more than 150 meteorites from Australia and overseas in its collection.
It recognises all discoveries with a personalised medallion for the finder.