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Elmshorn - Germany
25 April 2023 at 12:14 UTC

On April 25, 2023, at 12:14 UT, a meteorite the size of a tennis ball struck the roof of a house in Elmshorn, Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany. Upon hearing this news, we knew it was a spectacular event and that we should go there. Perhaps there would be more fragments in the area? And indeed, a few hours later, additional reports began to surface on the internet. This time, it was mentioned that a 3.6kg meteorite was found in a small crater in the garden of a residential estate. So it was already certain that a larger fragmentation had occurred, and there was a good chance of finding other pieces of the meteorite. After a few days, armed with this information, we decided to visit the impact site. In the meantime, official information appeared on the karmaka.de website, detailing further findings. A meteorite weighing approximately 200g was discovered on the driveway of a house by its owner. Most likely, a piece had struck the roof and fragmented into smaller pieces.

On April 29, Ewelina and Maciek Burski reported additional findings, of two shattered meteorites weighing 20.4g and 9.1g. The following day, on April 30, Svend Buhl reported finding a small specimen weighing 8.9g. By that day, we were already at the location, and our search began the next day, May 1, 2023.

Following several days of intensive searching on Moltkestraße street we encountered our first meteorite fragment weighing 2.92g. Unfortunately subsequent days yielded no success. The primary hindrance stemmed a significant portion of the area being occupied by private properties facilities and other inaccessible locations. Another difficulty were the frequently cleaned sidewalks and streets of the city. Nevertheless we persisted and broadened our search area.

On April 25, 2023, at 12:14:24 UTC, a daytime fireball lit up over northern Germany.

liczb bloki 3: 7

Our exploration in Elmshorn commenced with limited information. Regrettably the calculations were not highly accurate due to it being a daytime bolide and only a few cameras the AllSky7 network managed to capture this remarkable event. Consequently we were acquainted with only a few official locations as previously mentioned. These locations comprised meteorites discovered by the inhabitants of Elmshorn weighing 3.7kg - 233.4g and approximately 200g.

Following several days of intensive searching on Moltkestraße street we encountered our first meteorite fragment weighing 2.92g. Unfortunately subsequent days yielded no success. The primary hindrance stemmed a significant portion of the area being occupied by private properties facilities and other inaccessible locations. Another difficulty were the frequently cleaned sidewalks and streets of the city. Nevertheless we persisted and broadened our search area.

We surmised that a large cemetery spanning approximately 14 hectares situated in the northeastern part of the city could be a favorable site to check. This choice proved to be astute. Initially we felt somewhat uneasy since it was not commonplace to search for meteorites in such a setting. However this afforded us ample time for contemplation. This cemetery diverged all other similar sites we were familiar with as it boasted abundant green spaces evoking a park-like ambiance rather than a typical burial ground while traversing its paths.

To our astonishment we suddenly spotted a small black stone of diminutive dimensions which turned out to be a meteorite. Energized by this discovery we ardently continued scouring the area. As we unearthed additional specimens over time we became assured that we were in the right place and that meteorite fragmentation had occurred in this vicinity. The outcome of our diligent efforts over several days left us genuinely surprised. In total we uncovered six meteorites with one specimen lying just beyond the cemetery fence thereby allowing us to claim seven meteorites recovered that locale.

Based on our field research we resolved to explore the meteorite strewnfield area in a northerly and northeastward direction the axis formed by the three largest meteorite fragments. Altogether we walked a distance of 325 km and discovered two more fragments weighing 20.65g and 7.98g albeit in a different part of the city this time. The first was situated on a small roundabout along Ferdinand-Hanssen-Weg street while the second specimen was found in the northern part of the city

After a week of searching we returned home; however we recognized that there were still a few locations to be inspected. Hence after a few days of reorganization we resolved to revisit. This time in the field we walked 276 km expanding our search area in a northwestward and northeastward direction the cemetery. Unfortunately we discovered no fragments on the northwestern side in the meadows yet we managed to recover four small meteorite fragments on the northeastern side. These specimens were of small dimensions collectively weighing 19.35g.

In summary we dedicated two weeks to our fieldwork collectively covering a distance of 601 km and procured a total of 14 meteorites with a combined weight of 99.11g. Based on the results of our fieldwork we surmise that the meteorite weighing 3.7kg likely represents the main mass. Additionally we were unable to find any larger fragments exceeding 30g and the residents likewise did not encounter larger pieces apart the two officially reported masses of 233.4g and approximately 200g. This observation suggests that the meteorite fragmented into many small pieces which the wind could have dispersed over a much larger area than initially assumed.

ART&MET Meteorites Collection - Zapraszamy do podróżowania razem z nami po kosmicznym świecie meteorytów, który jest niezwykły, fascynujący i pełen przygód.

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Elmshorn - Germany 25 April 2023 at 12:14 UTC

Elmshorn - Germany
25 April 2023 at 12:14 UTC