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2019 Hamburg Meteorite Hunt

November 2, 2019 @ 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

treasure map

On the evening of Jan 16th, 2018, a meteor entered the earths atmosphere over southeast Michigan and exploded over Livingston County.  Dozens of fragments of the meteor were found scattered on the lakes below in Hamburg Township and there are many more are waiting to be found. The General Motors Astronomy Club has received permission to hunt for meteorites at an undisclosed location near Pinckney.  Join us on November 2 and maybe you will be lucky enough to find a meteorite!Sandra Macika, Todd Slisher, Tony Licata, and Brian Wolff, with their Hamburg Meteorite finds

After a day of hunting on a frozen lake for meteorites from the recent Michigan bolide, Todd Slisher and team point to their finds. The crew found them in an afternoon hunt on a frozen lake. From left: Sandra Macika, Todd Slisher, Tony Licata, and Brian Wolff. Not pictured but also on the team is Buddy Stark. From Sky & Telescope article, picture by Lisa DeLuca.

Nov 2nd, Event schedule:

  • 8:45 AM – Doors open, get there early to grab some donuts and coffee before the presentation starts!
  • 9:00 AM – Presentation by meteorite hunter Larry Atkins
  • 9:40 AM – Break
  • 10:00 AM – Presentation by meteorite collector Mark Jeffries
  • 10:40 AM – Meteorite Show and Tell
  • 11:30 AM – Lunch
  • 12:30 PM – Afternoon hunt begins

Schedule subject to change.  If the weather is good, we will hunt until 5PM, but you are free to leave at any time.

Presentation by Larry Atkins

Join us at 9AM for a special presentation by local meteorite hunter, Larry Atkins.  Larry is a very experienced meteorite hunter, who lives in the Detroit area and will be bringing some meteorites from his own collection for show and tell!

Larry Atkins

Details and Recommendation:

  • Be sure to eat a good breakfast, so you will have energy for walking!
  • There is a restaurant on-site for lunch, or you may venture out to other local restaurants.
  • Participants will be given magnet sticks, clipboards, and buckets as supplies last.  If you have a good strong magnet at home, please bring it along, just in case we run out.
  • You be given a gridded map, which we will review with you before the hunt.  Most of the search area is wooded and terrain varies, but all levels of physical ability will be accommodated, so don’t worry if you don’t feel like walking far.  That’s the best part about meteorite hunting, anyone can do it and the rocks could be ANYWHERE, including in the parking lot.
  • If you plan to search in the woods, you should wear long sleeves and sturdy footwear and keep and watch out for poison-ivy.  Optionally, you may want to wear waterproof boots and search in swampy areas, but it is purely up to you.  Our goal is to cover as much ground as possible, and there is plenty of area available to search, so don’t worry about that!

 

You Must Purchase Tickets for this Event:

The all-inclusive ticket price is $12 for members* and $15 for non-members, ages 6 and up.  Children under 6 are free.   When you purchase your tickets, you will receive a document with the meteorite hunt location and additional details.

Purchase Tickets in the Online Store

If you have any questions, please contact Jim Goodall at james.a.goodall@gm.com or 586-709-5888.

For more info on the Hamburg Meteorite and the picture shown above, visit the Sky & Telescope Article from January 22, 2018.

* Member price applies to all individuals of the same household.

Details

Date:
November 2, 2019
Time:
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Event Category: