A meteorite is a piece of rock from space that enters the atmosphere. It does not burn up (like a meteor) and reaches the surface of the Earth. It is quite rare to find a meteorite, especially in an urban environment.
There are different kinds of meteorites, but there are some general characteristics that can help to decide if the rock is a meteorite.
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Meteorites are magnetic: they won’t stick on a fridge themselves, but a magnet will stick to the meteorite.
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The rock seems burned on the outside. A meteorite has a rounded shape and brown rusty, to black color because of the heat during atmospheric entry.
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You will not see holes or pores at the surface of a meteorite. Sometimes you can see shiny or rusty patches of iron.
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A meteorite will feel heavier compared to a rock from earth of the same size.
The Royal Observatory of Belgium does not identify or collect meteorites. If you think you found a meteorite, you can use the document below to verify. Still convinced it is a meteorite? Contact mdeceukelaire@naturalsciences.be from the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences. Add some pictures (with scale) and a description (location, exterior, weight, volume, magnetism, …) from the rock. This will make identification easier.
Meteorite or meteowrong?