Bihar Meteorite intrigues CM Nitish Kumar with magnetic properties after landing from space in Madhubani

A celestial object, weighing more than 10 kg and having magnetic properties, landed in a village of north Bihar's Madhubani district on Monday evening. As it was later discovered as a meteorite, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar went to take further details and see the object in Madhubani district of Bihar.  ​​​​​Madhubani District Magistrate, Shirsat Kapil Ashok said, the object was found in Mahadeva village under Laukahi police station area on Monday evening.

Here are the pictures from CM Nitish Kumar's visit:

Madhubani District Magistrate also said, "A group of farmers were working in the fields when they heard an unusually loud thud. When they looked around to find the source of the sound, they spotted the object lying in a hole - about five feet deep - that was dug into the ground by the impact of the fall", the DM said.

The villagers extracted the object with some effort and informed government officials who took it into their possession and it was, subsequently, placed in the custody of the district treasury, the DM said. "We have written to the state's Principal Secretary, Science and Technology department, informing him about this peculiar object that looks like a piece of rock but its glitter is much more than that of unpolished stone. Its magnetic pull makes it even more intriguing", he said. However, the DM also added that the department will be sending experts who can study the object and arrive at a definitive conclusion.

What is meteorite?

A meteorite is a debris from objects like as comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon. When the object enters the atmosphere, various factors heats it up and thus it radiates energy. It then becomes a fireball, also known as a shooting star or falling star. Falling of Meteorites is called meteorite falls. All others are known as meteorite finds.  As of 2018, there are more than 59,200 well-documented meteorite finds in the world, as per reports.

PICTURES: A suspected meteorite chunk from space has landed in Bihar's Madhubani & has magnetic properties