What’s the Likelihood of Getting Struck By a Shooting Star?

However, unlike stars, meteors are regular visitors to Earth. They are asteroids that enter the Earth’s atmosphere from outer space.

Hodges cared for her elderly mother, and a morning filled with household chores had tired her out. But her short power nap was interrupted by a loud and frightening noise that shook her entire house.

But, after checking on her mom and carefully examining the house, Hodges found a hole in the roof. Then, all of a sudden, Hodges felt a sharp pain around her abdomen. You’ll be surprised by what she discovered next.

Hodges would later discover that she had been struck by a meteorite that fell through her roof, and she was lucky she survived. The rock had bounced off her radio and landed on her stomach.

An asteroid becomes a meteorite when it enters the Earth’s atmosphere; they then burn up and become smaller.

So, the 1954 asteroid that struck Ann Hodges would be the first documented case of such an event. It was discovered that the meteorite split in two before hitting the ground.

The Air Force also noticed the phenomenon and decided to investigate. At the very least, they needed to be sure it was not a missile or a UFO. Scientists later pegged the impact speed of the Sylacauga meteorite as 201 kilometers per hour. So, Ann Hodge was truly lucky to have survived.

Recovered meteorites are often named after the impact site. However, since this one struck a human, it was automatically called the Hodges Meteorite.

The Arms race was fierce in 1954. Since the object in question fell from the sky, they needed to be sure it didn’t pose a threat to national security. So, men from the Maxwell Air Force Base removed the rock from the Hodges’s home and took it in for examination.

However, there was still a rift about who got to keep the meteor. Unfortunately for Mrs. Hodges, their home was a rented property. So, the landlady, Birdie Guy, insisted the meteor should come to her. Mrs. Guy’s argument? The meteor impacted her property, so it belonged to her.

Mrs. Guy received $500 to forfeit custody of the meteor to the Hodges. But even when the rock returned to the Hodges, the best they could come up with was to use it as a door-stopper. So, they eventually agreed to donate the meteor to the Alabama Museum of Natural History.

For example, the ice age and extinction of dinosaurs are believed by some to have been caused by the impact of large meteors on Earth. However, there’s something that sets the Hodges event of 1954 apart. It was the first time a meteor was documented to have impacted a human.

Experts have, however, revealed that well over half of the meteorites reaching Earth fall into the ocean. Some even turn to dust before making an impact.

Kempis Mckinney was a Sylacauga farmer going about his day. He was working on the farm when he noticed a black rock in his path. But McKinney ignored it and continued his work. Then, later in the day, he heard the news of the Hodges meteorite and immediately rushed back to his farm.

It was later reported that Mckinney successfully sold his piece of the meteorite. According to reports, he made enough money from the sale to buy a good car and a house. Eventually, this piece was also donated to the National Museum of Natural History.

For example, a gram of 24K gold sold for $39.05 in 2017. That same year, a gram of the meteorite found by McKinney was sold for $728.

However, the string of events and excitement degenerated Ann’s health. The relationship between the Hodges also broke down, and the couple divorced in 1964.

However, in 1972 Venezuela, a cow was killed by a falling meteorite. Also, in 2013, a falling meteorite was reported to have caused a sonic boom that broke windows in Russia. In 2016, a bus driver in India was reported to have suffered fatal injuries from a nearby impact of a meteorite.

Studies by researchers at the National Museum peg the age of the Hodges meteorite as 4.5 billion years. These rocks can tell us the history of our solar system.

Meteorites are largely similar to materials found on Earth. However, geologists and astronomers state that they are from the asteroid belt. The region between Mars and Jupiter is littered with these rock fragments.

For example, archaeologists have unearthed evidence of primitive civilizations that made symbolic use of meteorites. In addition, some excavated flint heads, necklaces, and grindstones were found to be made from meteorites. This indicates that humans have long identified the importance of these rocks.

So, while the odds of being struck by a falling meteor are low, the incredible story of Ann Hodges proves that anything is possible.