A meteorite that punched through a family home’s roof in July 2024 has been reclassified by a major natural history museum as “a generous donation from the universe,” the institution confirmed this week, shortly after publishing a peer-reviewed paper on the rock’s rare chemistry. The homeowner, who was not consulted on the reclassification, was reportedly still working through an insurance claim filed under “act of God, technically literal.”

The meteorite, made of a primitive material observed in only one other recorded fall, was found to contain amino acids, magnesium organic compounds, and traces of a billion-year-evaporated brine — a discovery museum officials described as “one of the most scientifically valuable objects ever recovered,” a ranking that did not extend to the roof, which was recovered separately, by a contractor, at full price.

Asked whether the family would receive any portion of the meteorite’s now-considerable acquisitions value, a museum spokesperson clarified that the fragments were “in the care of” the institution, a phrase legal noted was “doing quite a lot of work.” The homeowner’s ceiling has not commented.

Museum officials say the sample will go on permanent display beside a placard crediting “the universe” as sole donor, with no acknowledgment field currently budgeted for the roof.