Astronomy Group Recovers Fragment of Meteoroid That Slammed Into Earth
A piece of the meteoroid that astronomers predicted would hit Earth on Sunday night has amazingly been recovered in Normandy, France.
The news(Opens in a new window) comes from an organization called Vigie Ciel in France, which is devoted to tracking meteorites, or space rocks that have fallen to Earth. The group assembled a team of amateur and professional astronomers to try and find Sunday’s meteoroid after it was spotted burning across the skies over Northern France.
According to Vigie Ciel, an 18-year-old art school student named Loïs Leblanc spotted a “dark stone” in a field outside the French town of Saint-Pierre-le-Viger. The team then analyzed the object and confirmed it was a fragment from Sunday’s meteoroid.
The meteoroid — originally dubbed SAR 2667, but now called 2023 CX1— was estimated to be about one meter in size before it impacted Earth’s atmosphere. The space rock was also projected to arrive around northern France, which gave the public a chance to spot and record 2023 CX1 as it burned across the sky.
Using astronomical observations and video from the public on the ground, Vigie Ciel was able to calculate(Opens in a new window) where 2023 CX1 might have landed in northern France. The group also predicted fragments of the space rock would’ve survived given its mass and speed when entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Vigie Ciel didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But meteorites can be identified by looking at several traits(Opens in a new window) including whether they have a “fusion crust” or dark burn marks from atmospheric entry. They're also usually rich in iron, making them instantly attracted to magnets.
What will happen to the recovered fragment remains unclear. However, Vigie Ciel
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