Winchcombe meteorite

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Winchcombe
TypeChondrite[1]
ClassCarbonaceous chondrite[1]
GroupCM2[1]
CountryEngland
RegionGloucestershire
Coordinates51°57′04″N 1°58′32″W / 51.9512°N 1.9755°W / 51.9512; -1.9755Coordinates: 51°57′04″N 1°58′32″W / 51.9512°N 1.9755°W / 51.9512; -1.9755[2]
Observed fallYes
Fall date28 Feb 2021 GMT (UTC)
Found date29 Feb 2021 GMT (UTC)
TKW548 grams (19.3 oz)

The Winchcombe meteorite is a meteorite that was observed entering the Earth's atmosphere as a fireball over Gloucestershire, England at 21:54 hours on 28 February 2021. Due to a public appeal, fragments were quickly recovered from the village of Winchcombe enabling it to be collected for analysis before becoming degraded.

It is a 4.6 billion-year-old meteorite originating from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.[3][4]

It was the first meteorite found in Britain since 1991.[5] Fragments of the meterorite were displayed at the London Natural History Museum on 17 May 2021.[6]

Observation[]

A meteoroid was captured by six camera networks of the UK Fireball Alliance, which is led by the Natural History Museum,[7] as well as on door-bell cameras of private dwellings.[8] There were also over 1,000 eyewitness reports from the UK and elsewhere in Northern Europe, as well as a sonic boom heard in the local area.[1] These observations allowed its trajectory to be reconstructed. A public appeal was issued for fragments.[3]

Recovery[]

Subsequently a family found a pile of dark stones and powder on the driveway of their home in Winchcombe.[1] They had heard a sound at the time when the meteorite hit but did not investigate outside until the morning; upon discovering the fragments, they placed them in a bag and these were taken to London for analysis.[9] In total 319-gram (11.3 oz) of material was collected from their driveway and lawn.

In the following days further fragments were found nearby, including the largest single stone from the meteorite found on farmland and weighing 152-gram (5.4 oz), but this split in two during recovery.[1] The total amount recovered stands at 548 grams (19.3 oz), comprising hundreds of pieces.[1]

On 8 September 2021 local construction company Grimshaw Group removed the indented section of driveway where the meteorite landed and delivered the square meter of asphalt to London's Natural History Museum.[10]

Pieces of the Winchcombe Meteorite are now part of a display in the Winchcombe Museum, which tells the story of its origins, unexpected arrival and its scientific significance.[11]

Composition and classification[]

The meteorite is thought to be a carbonaceous chondrite, the first collected on impact in Britain.[12] The fragment did not experience rainfall[13] and was placed in a protected environment within 12 hours of falling to Earth, meaning that the quality of the sample is comparable to those retrieved by probes from asteroids.[14][4] It is of a similar type to that retrieved by the Hayabusa2 mission from the asteroid 162173 Ryugu.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for Winchcombe". Meteoritical Society. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  2. ^ Port, Samuel (2021-03-09). "Tracking down the Winchcombe Meteorite that landed on driveway". Retrieved 2021-03-11.
  3. ^ a b "Meteorites from sky fireball 'may have fallen near Cheltenham'". The Guardian. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  4. ^ a b c "A team of UK scientists, guided by meteor specialists, have recovered pieces of an extremely rare meteorite, a type which has never fallen anywhere in the UK before". www.nhm.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  5. ^ "Meteorite found in the Cotswolds is the first in the UK for 30 years". Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  6. ^ "Winchcombe meteorite to go on public display". BBC News. 2021-05-13. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
  7. ^ "Last night's record-breaking fireball over Gloucestershire may have dropped a meteorite" (Press release). UK Fireball Alliance. 1 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Meteor captured on doorbell cameras in England". BBC News. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  9. ^ "Rare meteorite chunk traced by scientists to Gloucestershire driveway". The Guardian. 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  10. ^ "Winchcombe meteorite driveway to go on display". BBC News. 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
  11. ^ "Meteorite". Winchcombe Museum. Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  12. ^ Gater, Will. "Meteorite recovered in the UK after spectacular fireball in the sky". New Scientist. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  13. ^ "Weather in March 2021 in Gloucester, England, United Kingdom".
  14. ^ Dr Luke Daly of UK Fireball Alliance: talk to the Royal Geographical Society, 11 March 2021.

External links[]

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