The burning object that landed on a Bat Yam beach Saturday morning is not a meteorite, nor is it any other kind of artifact from outer space, the Geological Institute in Jerusalem stated.
It is probably man-made, and contains relatively high levels of phosphorus, the institute said.
First to examine the mysterious object was Dr. Diana Laufer, of the Geophysics and Planetary Sciences Department of Tel Aviv University, who received it from police.
"It is plastic or silicon," she told Haaretz. "I received it from the police's Tel Aviv crime scene investigation unit. I did not have many means at home, but I looked at it with a magnifying glass, and the rubbery material peeled easily.
"Perhaps it is part of an airplane or a satellite, or it's part of a flare. I do not know. But it certainly is not from space," she said.
Lifeguards at the beach reported seeing a burning object fall from the sky near their station on the the southern part of the Bat Yam promenade.
On the ground they found a seven-centimeter-long black object that was burning and emitting smoke.
There were dozens of people on the beach, but no injuries were reported.
