An Indonesian coffin maker became an instant millionaire when a meteorite worth USD$ 1.86 million crashed through the roof of his house.
Josua Hutagalung, 33, was working on a coffin next to his house when the space rock smashed through the veranda at the edge of his living room in Kolang, North Sumatra.
The single stone, weighing 2.1kg, left a large hole in the tin roof and ended up buried 15cm deep in the soil beside the house.
Meteorites are priced by gram with the cheapest pure-rock varieties fetching USD$ 0.50 to USD$ 5.00 per gram., and those with rare extra-terrestrial metals selling for up to USD$ 1,000 per gram.
Josua, who managed to dig the rock out, said the meteorite was still warm and partially broken when he touched it.
It is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old and is classified as CM1/2 carbonaceous Chondrite, an extremely rare variety.
The interior of the meteor is dark grey and black, with small light-coloured speckles.
Local residents in the area had heard large booming sounds which shook their houses. Dozens have visited Josua’s house to see the rare object.
According to the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Texas, US the rock was bought by a Jay Piatek, a doctor and meteorite collector from Indianapolis
Hutagalung, the father of three said he would use some of the money to build a church in his community.
In August, as many as 200 fragments of a 4.6 billion-year-old meteorite fell in Santa Filomena, northeastern Brazil.
The biggest weighed 40kg and is worth over GBP£ 20,000.