Each year we mark the occasion when this world-famous meteorite broke up in the skies over Murchison. Over those 54 years since 1969 when the meteor landed, Murchison Historical Society has gathered a collection of short films about the meteorite, some the Society has arranged to be made, others are by keen meteorite collectors and scientists, others by the ABC and all are professionally filmed. On Thursday the 28th September, with a morning and an afternoon session, the films will be screened providing a MOVIE MARATHON!
Our traditional ringing of the bells will occur at 10.58am on Thursday 28th of September, the time the meteorite actually hit the ground!
Over the intervening years, as technological advances have provided the ability to study the Murchison meteorite in more and more detail, scientists have learnt a great deal about our universe and the solar system. Murchison meteorite is considered ‘a treasure trove for science’.
The Murchison meteorite is a one of the rarest types known and one of the most extensively studied. It is classified as a carbonaceous chondrite – only 1% of all known meteorites are of this type. It is estimated to be more than 4.6 billion years old – older than our sun and the planets. It came into existence when our Solar System as we know it today, was still forming.
One of the fascinating features of the Murchison meteorite is the presence of amino acids, the building blocks of DNA, the genetic code in living cells. Some scientists think they represent primitive life forms. Scientific studies have identified the presence of sugar, salt, water and many primitive organic materials. A study by Dr. Philipp Heck and his team identified star dust 7 billion years old – no other solid object on planet earth is this old! In April 2022, a study conducted in Japan, identified the final two of the five chemicals required to form DNA.
Below are the details of the MURCHISON METEORITE MOVIE MARATHON! Come along and join in the fun!
Murchison and District Historical Society Inc. 