Meteorites are the oldest rocks in existence: the only surviving physical record of the formation and evolution of the solar system. They sample hundreds of different heavenly bodies. Potentially, meteorites offer a direct route to understanding our origins. But to decode that record we need to know where they come from. The Desert Fireball Network (or DFN for short) is designed to provide that data.

Meteorites generate a fireball as they come through the atmosphere – you may even have seen one of these yourself. The DFN is a network of digital cameras in the outback desert of Australia which capture photographs of the night sky. By making networked observations of the fireball we can triangulate its trajectory, track the rock forward to where it lands, and back, to where it came from in the solar system.

More and more cameras are being added to the DFN as the project expands. The final network will image the night sky over roughly one-third of Australia, and track whatever is coming through the atmosphere. DFN researchers will then go out and recover the meteorite. Knowing where the meteorite came from, and what it is made of, will help us to address some of the biggest questions in planetary science: how our planetary system came into being, and how dust and gas produced a planet capable of supporting life – our Earth.

Fireballs in the Sky is a citizen science initiative that allows everyone to share the discoveries of the Desert Fireball Network. On their website you can see a research project as it happens, use the app to provide your own data, and experience the highs (and the occasional lows) with others.

The Fireballs in the Sky app allows you to get involved with the Desert Fireball Network research by reporting your own meteor sightings to scientists. They use your reports to track the trajectories of meteors – from their orbit in space to where they might have landed on Earth. Download the Fireballs in the Sky App Now!

Fireballs in the Sky is a Curtin University project and an Inspiring Australia initiative, supported by the Australian Government through the Department of Industry. To learn more, visit http://www.fireballsinthesky.com.au/

Posted by: Soderman/SSERVI Staff

Source: http://www.fireballsinthesky.com.au/