[crooked-v]

In the US, if a meteorite lands on your property, it's yours and you can sell or donate it as you please. This homeowner probably made a decent amount on the sale, especially with the emphasis on immediate preservation.

[herodoturtle]

> In the US, if a meteorite lands on your property, it's yours and you can sell or donate it as you please.

Does this happen often in the US?

I mean often enough that folks happen to know the legality of it?

In which case I find it extremely frightening that one could be sitting on their porch, minding their own business, browsing HN, and then get unexpectedly head-shotted by a meteorite.

[pavel_lishin]

According to this article, we know of three people who have been hit by meteorites, all non-fatally: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylacauga_(meteorite)

Not sure if we should count Tunguska, which killed at least three people.

[jlarocco]

It happens at the same probability as anywhere else on earth.

[jjmarr]

Is this actually true? Could it depend on latitude?

[recursivecaveat]

Apparently they are thought to be more common closer to the equator, due to the plane of the solar system (and hence the asteroid belt) lining up with it: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/meteorites-might-be-more...

[herodoturtle]

Apologies for the ambiguity, I was referring to the selling or donating of meteorites - and only because I've never heard of such a thing in my part of the world.