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LiveScience
LiveScience
Harry Baker

World's 1st 'boomerang meteorite' — a rock that left Earth, spent millennia in space, then returned — possibly discovered in the Sahara Desert

The suspected meteorite NWA 13188, which was discovered in Morocco in 2018, may have originated from Earth. (Image credit: Albert Jambon)

Researchers have proposed that an unusual rock, which was recently discovered in northern Africa, could be the first ever known "boomerang meteorite" — a space rock that originated on our planet before being ejected into space and then later tumbling back to Earth. However, not everyone agrees with the new findings, which have yet to be peer-reviewed.

The meteorite, which is named NWA 13188 and weighs around 23 ounces (646 grams), was discovered by meteorite hunetrs in an unknown part of the Sahara Desert in Morocco in 2018. Nobody saw the rock fall to Earth and its composition was discovered to be very similar to a specific type of volcanic rocks known to scientists, which has led to speculation about its origins. 

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