Scientists ask Highland hikers for help to find meteorite

Researchers are asking adults if they can keep a look out whilst on their hikes

After tracking a meteorite that flew across the Scottish skies in the summer, researchers think that bits of the space rock could have landed over some big mountains.

This means that hill walkers trekking in the Highlands could find some pretty out-of-this-world treasures under their feet.

A group of scientists, called the UK Fireball Alliance, say that the meteorite fragments may be scattered on the Stob Coire, Easain, Chno Dearg, and Ben Alder munros.

Munros are Scottish mountains over 3,000 feet (914m) tall, visited by expert walkers and mountaineers.

This shows a Geminids meteor shower over Scotland on 14th December 2023

On Thursday 3 July this year, a bright meteor was visible in some areas of Scotland.

The UK Fireball Alliance believe that it exploded in northern Scotland, with pieces weighing up to 100g falling over some parts of the Highlands, and big fragments of up to 10kg landing at the Ben Alder area.

The Highlands cover nearly 10,000 square metres and is known for its wild scenery.

Hiking some parts of the Highlands can be risky - involving walking on difficult ground and through harsh conditions.

In fact, one of the search parties trying to find the meteor fragments, led by the University of Glasgow's Professor Luke Daly, had to come home because of the bad weather on their trip.

A fragment from the Winchcombe meteorite, pictured here on display at the Natural History Museum

Professor Luke led a team that recovered the largest intact fragment of the Winchcombe meteorite in the UK in 2021.

His colleague Dr Aine O'Brien said: "If someone is lucky enough to bag a meteorite while bagging a Munro, we're asking them to take a photo and take a note of their GPS location and send it to the UK Fireball Alliance.

"If it's small enough to be picked up, please try not to handle it directly - wrapping it in aluminium foil or a clean sandwich bag would be very helpful.

"If it's too big to carry, the GPS location will help us recover it later."