Last Friday morning, Skytinel cameras recorded a possible meteorite fall in Poland. The star stone, the largest fragment of which could weigh about 80 grams, must have fallen near the city of Grzebsk, near Mlava Masovia.
Skytinel is a project that monitors the Polish sky to record and locate meteorites in Poland. On Friday, October 25, at 03:19, network cameras recorded the appearance of an extremely bright point over Poland. Network representatives reported that it could be a small meteorite that fell near the city of Grzebski, Masovian Voivodeship.
The largest piece of stone can weigh about 80 grams. In addition, there may be separate, smaller parts of the meteorite on the surface of the earth.
“Everything indicates that a meteorite has hit the ground”
The unusual event was recorded by 10 observation cameras, thanks to which it was possible to determine the exact trajectory of the flight. The meteoroid was visible at an altitude of 86.7 kilometers and entered the atmosphere at a speed of 17.6 kilometers per second, at an angle of 17.7 degrees to the surface of the Earth. The bright period of the flight of the rock star began over the city of Sepietovo, Podlaski Voivodeship, and the meteoroid moved in the north-west direction.
“A detailed analysis of the records allowed us to determine that the rock reached a height of 29.4 km above the Earth, slowed down to about 4 km/s and went off about 25 km east of Mlava in Masovia Voivodeship. At the end of the flight, the melting of the surface of the reef has stopped and “everything indicates that the meteorite has reached the ground”, – say the creators of the Skytinel project.
Skytinel/Mateusz Żmija flight path
Where to look for meteorites
Observers say the meteoroid experienced significant fragmentation before reaching Earth. The largest piece of rock that hit the ground may have weighed about 80 grams. It most likely landed on farmland near Grzebsko.
“The potential impact area is very large due to the flat flight path of the meteoroid,” Skytinel members write.
Searchers should pay attention to rocks that are lightly covered with a thin layer of black, which is formed when passing through the atmosphere under the influence of high temperature. The meteorite will most likely have rounded edges, and its surface will be covered with small impressions.
Any finder should contact the Polish Meteor Society. Skytinel experts advise against testing findings using neodymium magnets, as it may complicate further studies of the meteorite.
Possible fall site of the largest meteorite Skytinel/Mateusz Żmija
The possible area of the fall of the Skytinel/Mateusz Żmija meteorite
Interesting orbit
The meteorite that fell near Grzebsko orbited the Sun for a little more than half a year, approaching the central star from a distance smaller than Mercury. Skytinel adds that the rock did not come from the asteroid belt, where most meteorites reach Earth. This means that its possible discovery can provide a lot of valuable information for scientists.
Main image source: Skytinel