Meteorites Fall in Central Finland

Laatste wijziging: zondag 8 januari om 15:09, 2914 keer bekeken
 
Groningen, zondag 8 januari 2012

Parts of a fireball seen in Finnish skies on Tuesday evening have fallen in central Finland. According to the Finnish astronomy magazine Tähdet ja Avaruus (Stars and Space), the fireball fragmented, with the majority of pieces falling near the centre of Jämsä town.

The largest pieces to land on earth weighed about one kilogram, according to calculations made by the meteorite section of Ursa Astronomical Association. Snow may have covered signs of the landings. However, meteorite fragments could still be found.

According to Stars and Space magazine, it is rare to have meteorite impact close to large populated areas in Finland. A similar event last took place over a hundred years ago, when meteorites fell near the town of Mikkeli.

The meteorites in the vicinity of Jämsä originate in a larger body that entered the earth's atmosphere around Narva in Estonia. The velocity of the object was about 19 kilometres per second, which is relatively low.

The daily paper Iltalehti first reported on the meteorite in Finland.



Bron: sott.net