OSLO, Norway, April 4 (UPI) -- The chance of being hit by a meteorite is one in 20 trillion. But in 2012, one skydiver got closer than most.
In a newly released video -- captured by the helmet cam of Norwegian skydiver Anders Helstrup -- what appears to be a stone can bee seen hurtling past Helstrup just as he opens his chute.
Some skeptics have theorized that the object is actually a pebble that got wrapped up in Helstrup's parachute. But geologist Hans Amundsen says the video is the real thing. "This is the first time in history that a meteorite has been filmed in the air after its light goes out," Amundsen told NRK, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corp.
Helstrup offers the same story. "When we stopped the film, we could clearly see something that looked like a stone, he said. "At first it crossed my mind that it had been packed into a parachute, but it’s simply too big for that."
Helstrup has gone back to the patch of forest adjacent to his 2012 landing spot several times to look for the meteorite, as have dozens of meteorite enthusiasts. So far, they haven't had any luck locating the mysterious rock.
[Norwegian Broadcasting Corp.]
