BERTHOUD, Colo., Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A Colorado family has witnessed the fifth confirmed sighting of a meteorite's impact in the state since 1924 -- and has a softball-size rock to prove it.
John and Meghan Whiteis and their son, Casper, saw a streak of light in the sky Oct. 5, which was accompanied by a great wooshing sound followed by a thud. The event turned out to be a meteor traveling faster than 100 mph before it hit the ground 75 feet from their Berthoud, Colo., home, the Rocky Mountain News reported.
The Whiteises appeared Monday with a panel of geologists and astronomers from the University of Colorado.
"This came from outer space," said planetary scientist Nick Schneider after inspecting the rock. "It probably took a million years to get here. If you're feeling a little bit old, just come and touch this and it'll put things in perspective."
A team of scientists plans to search a four-square-mile area around the impact site for additional fragments.
