by Sarah Bainbridge

On Wed., Oct. 16, a, 5-foot-long chunk of the Russian meteorite, Chelyabinsk,which fell to earth Feb. 15 of this year, was pulled out of Lake Chebarkula from a depth of 65 feet. When brought to the surface, the rock broke into three pieces, all of which were saved. Together, the three pieces of the meteorite weighed more than the scales brought to the lake could measure, tipping the scale at 1,250 lbs. These meteorite pieces are currently some of the largest chunks of extraterrestrial material recovered, and tests on these rocks will soon provide scientists with more information about outer space.

Tests so far show that the meteorite has six different components that have all been found in smaller meteors in the past. This discovery suggests that while in space Chelyabinsk collided with other space rocks. The surface of the chunks are black and glassy, the result of the different components melting together as the meteorite entered the atmosphere.

(Sources: newswatch.nationalgeographic.com, nbcnews.com)