Great Balls of Fire – Rocks from Outer Space

Dick Pugh, a world renowned meteorite scientist with the Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory in Portland will visit Baker County Public Library on Thursday, June 13th at 6 p.m. to speak about how to identify meteorites. Visitors will also have a chance to experience his 'meteorite petting zoo' of $15,000 worth of meteorites to pick up and handle. Pugh invites anyone with a suspected meteorite to bring it in for evaluation. This free public program titled “Great Balls of Fire – Rocks from Outer Space” is open to persons of all ages. Pugh’s 45-minute Powerpoint show will be followed by a question and answer period, then the “petting zoo”. Pugh urges students, scouts, the curious, and especially anyone with a suspected meteorite to attend. Meteorites can be stone, iron, or a mix. Metallic meteorites are heavy, magnetic and most often pitted or bearing a burnt surface from being hurled through space. Some can be quite valuable and belong to the owners of the property where the items are discovered. To date only six meteorites have ever been found in Oregon. The first one was found in southern Oregon about a century ago. Scientists believe, however, there is at least one meteorite lying on the ground on every half square mile in Oregon. “We’re particularly interested in eastern Oregon,” Pugh said. “We know that meteorites are out there. It’s just a matter of time until someone notices one and recognizes it for what it is.” “Meteorites can be uncovered by plowing,” said Perry Stokes, director of the Baker County Library District, “Dick has had some ranchers bring in high-value meteorites they picked up decades ago and have just been keeping in a coffee can in their barn. So, we’re always thrilled to provide information about the identification and value of these finds to our community.” This event is part of “A Universe of Stories”, the library’s Summer Reading Program focusing on Space. The library has many events for kids scheduled from June through August. Summer Reading Program registration begins June 6, when school is out. For further information please Baker County Library District director Stokes at 541-523-6419.