Compiled from news reports
WINDHOEK, Namibia - A large metallic ball fell out of the sky on a remote grassland in Namibia, prompting baffled authorities to contact NASA and the European space agency.
The hollow ball with a circumference of 1.1 meters (43 inches) was found near a village in the north of the country some 750 kilometers (480 miles) from the capital Windhoek, according to police forensics director Paul Ludik.
With a diameter of 35 centimeters (14 inches), the ball has a rough surface and appears to consist of "two halves welded together."
It was made of a "metal alloy known to man" and weighed six kilograms (13 pounds), said Ludik.
It was found 18 meters from its landing spot, a hole 33 centimeters deep and 3.8 meters wide.
Several such balls have dropped in southern Africa, Australia and Latin America in the past 20 years, authorities found in an Internet search.
The mystery sphere was discovered in mid-November, but local authorities held off on announcing the find until they could perform a few tests. They determined it poses no danger to the public.
Locals apparently heard several small explosions a few days before the ball was found. Similar spheres have also been found in Australia and Central America over the last two decades, local authorities said.
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/tech/2011/12/325_101474.html
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