Lucky break: Astronomers are excited about the meteor fragments, as they belong to a rare class of meteors.
Double the data
Researchers can study asteroids in space by analysing the spectra of light they reflect, but this only provides general information about their chemical composition. They can also study meteorites recovered on Earth, but it is hard to discern information about their parent asteroid.
In the case of 2008 TC3, researchers can work with both types of observations, building a link between asteroid and meteorite data.
"This paper makes that link stronger, at least for one class of meteorites," said Charley Lineweaver, an astronomer with the Australian National University in Canberra.
Rare meteor
A large team of researchers has begun analysis on one 2008 TC3 fragment, finding it belongs to a rare class of meteorites called ureilites. Ureilites, Jenniskens said, appear to be halfway between primitive asteroids - those made up of material from the early solar system - and non-primitive asteroids. Primitive asteroids contain small molten glass globules; non-primitive asteroids were once completely molten.
Because ureilites are very fragile, this is the first time scientists have collected a meteor of this class. "It was a very unique meteor," Jenniskens said. He added that studies on the fragments were just beginning.
