An Indonesian man saw a meteoric rise in his fortune after a rare type of precious meteorite crashed against his roof.
According to the local media KompasJosua Hutagalung, a coffin maker by profession, was reportedly working outside his home in August when a precious 2.1kg space rock smashed through the ceiling of his living room in the Kolang area of north of Sumatra in Indonesia.
“The sound was so loud that parts of the house were also shaking. And after searching, I saw that the tin roof of the house had broken, “he told the media. A video of the incident shows where the meteorite landed in his home. The space rock had buried itself several inches into the ground from its impact.
Check out the video here:
According to a report on the Independent, the meteorite is classified as CM1 / 2 carbonaceous chondrite. It is an extremely rare variety and is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old. The rare heavenly drop is reportedly worth around 645 pounds per gram (roughly 63,000 rupees).
Hutagalung was reportedly paid more than 1 million pounds or approximately 9.8 million rupees. He sold the stone to a specialized collector, Jared Collins, from the United States. Collins, in turn, allegedly sold it to one Jay Piatek, a collector with a Ph.D. from the Meteor Study Center at Arizona State University.
Such a once-in-a-lifetime incident gave Hutagalung celebrity status locally, as dozens flocked to his home to see the heavenly rock.
He did not specify the exact amount he was paid in exchange for the meteorite. However, he indicated that the amount exceeded one million pounds.
The amount is reportedly equivalent to the 30-year salary for his find, with which he plans to retire and build a new church in his village.
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