Billion Dollar Meteor Found in India

Pretty cool find for these scientists/
If I had found it and knew it was rare, I'd be selling it on Ebay right now.

Rajasthan scientists excited about rare meteor
At the Geological Survey Institute in Rajasthan, scientists are excited about a six kg meteor that landed near two shepherds in a small village in Chittorgarh district on August 29.

Each year, about 500 meteors reach the earth, but only five or six of these actually reach the hands of scientists for scientific studies.

Usually meteors that land on the surface of the earth are stony meteors. It's only in 8 per cent of the cases that scientists find a meteor made up of iron and nickel like this one.

"The meteor is exciting because of its rarity. If I go to sell it in the international market, I will get $1 billion. This is rarer than gold and diamonds," said Dinkar Srivastava, Director Petrology Department, Geological Survey of India.

Looks like the scientists aren't selling though, they going to share with other scientists for study.

[edit on 9-12-2006 by worldwatcher]

They say what it was made up of, but what ever was growing on or in that thing will forever be a mystery.

Hmmm... Interesting. I wonder how they put a price (and such an expensive price-tag) on a meteor? I didn't realise that there was a supply & demand market for meteors...

yeh theres a hell of alot of money in the meteor business. i remember seeing a documentary once about a man who walks around the desert and collects meteors. he has around 100 in a secret room in his house. he became a millionaire of selling 1 of his finds

What are you talking about Techsnow? I read the article, and it made no mention of any growth on the meteorite. Are you claiming that there was life on it (if so, I'd like to see some supporting evidence), or is it some other point you're trying to get across?