Astronomy: Search for meteorite pieces continues

astronomy
Search for meteorite pieces continues

A piece of meteorite was found in a field near Ribbeck. photo

© Cevin Dettlaff/dpa

A few days ago a mini asteroid fell over Brandenburg. Some remains of the celestial body were found – but that’s not enough.

In the According to an expert, the meteorites found in Brandenburg actually come from the mini asteroid that recently fell there. “At the beginning we were cautious,” said Jörn Helbert from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) to RBB Inforadio. But it is now clear that the finds are actually meteorite parts.

The pieces are also so interesting because it is known exactly how and when they came from the sky, said Helbert, who heads the Planetary Laboratories department at DLR. In addition, the meteorite parts are still very fresh and have not been exposed to the weather for many years or even centuries. “They will now be examined in detail.”

The search for further parts of the celestial body will initially continue. “Now we will be out in the field over the weekend with a relatively large group who will continue to search in the exact region to find more pieces.”

The mini asteroid 2024 BX1 was seen near Berlin last Sunday (January 21) with a spectacular fireball that was visible from afar. A few days later, a Polish search team found pieces of meteorites near Nauen in Havelland. A team from DLR, the Berlin Museum of Natural History and the Free University of Berlin (FU) also found two pieces of meteorite. Meteorites are the pieces that arrive on Earth from an asteroid.

dpa

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