Meteorites found in Canada cannot be removed from the country without permit

Catch a falling star if you can, and by all means put it in your pocket, but don't try to cross international borders with it lest you run afoul of a little-known Canadian law.

An American museum will have to navigate that law's intricacies should it try to buy portions of a meteorite believed to have landed in New Brunswick last month.

A fireball ripped through the Earth's atmosphere on April 8 and landed somewhere in the province, prompting the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum to offer a $25,000 US reward for the first one-kilogram meteorite recovered.

But Chris Herd, a professor at the University of Alberta and curator of its meteorite collection, said obtaining the asteroid fragments won't be as simple as making an offer.

"In Canada, all meteorites are considered Canadian cultural property automatically through the Cultural Property Export and Import Act," he said in an interview. 

"Say an American comes in and finds (the meteorite,) they have to apply to export it from Canada. They may not actually take it out of Canada unless they have an approved export permit."

The museum in Bethel, Maine, has openly expressed interest in obtaining some of the space debris if and when it's found. 

Darryl Pitt, head of the museum's meteorite division, said doppler radar readings suggest the meteorite — which most likely originated from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter — was likely scattered over the part of New Brunswick straddling Maine.

The museum's interest extends beyond just the first 1-kg meteorite; a news release said it will buy any additional specimens found.

"Depending on the type of meteorite this is, specimens could easily be worth their weight in gold," Pitt said.

Herd said meteorites can be identified by a dark brown or black outer glassy crust that resembles an eggshell, he said.

"That's a telltale sign that it's come through the Earth's atmosphere from space," he said, noting they're usually dense and surprisingly heavy.

The person who finds a whole or partial meteorite on public property must complete an export application that's reviewed by an expert examiner, said Herd, who is one of several such experts in Canada.

"The expert examiner then might say, 'well, this is of potential outstanding significance and national importance,'" he said.