A grapefruit-sized meteorite has crashed through the roof of a house in Auckland, New Zealand. The rock hit a sofa and then bounced back up to the ceiling, before coming to rest under a computer. ?There was just a huge explosion and we looked around and there was just dust everywhere,? home-owner Brenda Archer told New Zealand television. The meteorite was probably travelling at about 500 km/h when it hit the house, experts say. ?I?m just glad no one was sitting on the couch because they would have got absolutely crowned,? Mrs Archer said.

When the meteorite entered the atmosphere, it is estimated to have been the size of a basketball, travelling at about 50,000 km/h. Collectors worldwide are expected to offer the Archers cash for the 1.3-kg rock. Meteorite expert Joel Schiff, from Auckland University, said it could be worth more than US$5,000. ?Falling through a roof is really an exceptional event and this is a beautiful, large specimen,? he said. The overwhelming majority of meteorites entering the atmosphere burn up before reaching the Earth. The chances a house being hit by a space rock have been measured in the billions-to-one, although two such incidents were reported last September, in New Orleans in the US and in India?s Orissa state.