'Meteor Man' offers $10,000 for Canadian chunk

By Evan Pellegrino

Robert Haag, "The Meteor Man," who is offering bounty on Canada meteorite

A fireball that lit up the sky over western Canada two weeks ago has a Tucsonan offering a $10,000 bounty on what might be found.

People were out looking for remnants of the space rock before, but the bounty has spurred interest, said Grady Semmens, communications manager for the University of Calgary.

"A lot of people were out and about and saw it when it happened, which put into motion a large public interest and response," he said.

"It's unfolding still."

The excitement started on Nov. 20, when just after nightfall, the sky was illuminated over Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta by a meteor crashing into Earth's atmosphere. Reports of the flash were reported as far away as Montana, Semmens said.

Now a search is under way for fragments of the alien rock — and Tucsonan Robert Haag, who calls himself "The Meteor Man" and has chased space rocks for 30 years, is offering the cash reward for the first one-kilogram fragment — about 2.2 pounds — offered to him.

"It's a really great meteorite," Haag said Monday. "It's fresh and exciting, and that's why it's worth so much. But then again, they're all great to me."

Haag said that because of Canadian law, the meteorite will need to stay in Canada no matter who finds it, but that hasn't stopped him from putting up his price.

"It's a shooting star that fell, and it's my dream to follow it," he said.

Haag said he grew up around rocks and minerals, searching for them around Tucson and hanging out at his family's rock shop. He would like to see a large fragment of the meteorite brought here, but because of Canadian law, he predicts he will be forced resell or trade the space rock in that country — if he ever gets his hands on it.

"Maybe I can resell it for $12,000 or maybe just sell it back for $10,000 and have a Canadian adventure in the process. I want to be a part of the buzz. This is like Meteorite-stock," he said, comparing the excitement to that of Woodstock.

The Canadians agree it's exciting.

"It's dramatic," Semmens said. "Our lead researcher has said this is the largest public response he's seen in his career."

The meteorite exploded into thousands of fragments and only about 50 have been found, he said.

Most of the search area has been narrowed down to about 20 square kilometers —about 8 square miles — of valleys and mixed forests and prairies.

No one has contacted Haag yet, but people may want to think twice before heading up north in hopes of finding the meteorite and collecting the reward. Semmens said that the vast majority of fragments are already owned by someone, whether or not they know it.

Under another Canadian law, any piece of the meteorite found will belong to whoever owns the property where it landed, Semmens said. He said that although most fragments will be found on private property, he hopes many will be donated to the university for research.

"There has been constant searching going on from our university with permission from property owners, and we're working on putting together an official team later this week of about a dozen or 15 people, mostly students," Semmens said.

While out meteorite hunting on Sunday, Semmens himself found a 2-pound fragment — and the landowner has given permission to the university to hold onto the sample for research.

"The biggest fragment found so far was 30 pounds and about the size of a human head," Semmens said. "It's a good-size piece of rock."

That fragment was found by a local father and son who were out meteorite hunting. After contacting the University of Calgary, they gave the chunk up to the landowner where it was found, Semmens said.

"A fireball of this size happens about 10 times per year, but the vast majority happen in areas where there aren't people, like over oceans," Semmens said. "For it to happen in a populated area is quite rare."

Semmens said Haag's offer is the only reward he is aware of.

According to Semmens, public interest in finding a large chunk of the meteorite for a reward can be helpful to researchers.

"It gets people interested in finding it, and if they do, it could be used for scientific purpose," he said. "Also a general interest in science for people is a good thing, too."

Haag said he hopes someone will find a large fragment soon and offer it to him.

"It's doesn't mean it will leave science if it's sold to me," he said. "I might trade it or give it to scientists.

"Meteorites connect you to the Earth and to the sky," he said, adding that last month's fireball was the biggest and best Canada has seen in more than a decade.

"It's a blessing from heaven."

"It's a really great meteorite. It's fresh and exciting, and that's why it's worth so much. But then again, they're all great to me."

Robert Haag, "The Meteor Man," who is offering bounty on Canada meteorite

● Contact NASA Space Grant intern Evan Pellegrino at 573-4125 or at epellegrino@azstarnet.com.

 http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/269743