Sept. 28, 1969: The Murchison Meteorite explodes over Australia

A meteorite broke up over Murchison, Australia, on Sept. 28, 1969, with loud booms and a smoke streak. Fragments spread across about 13.5 square miles, and because a farmer got samples to scientists quickly, the 4.6 billion year old carbonaceous chondrite has shown that the building blocks of life are common in the cosmos. It is a good reminder of what a bright fireball can leave behind.