AWB-Affiliate-Member finds the meteorite from March 6, 2016

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Mar 18

2016

by Johannes Stübler

On the evening of March 6, 2016 a spectacular meteor was seen over Upper Austria and Bavaria.

Part of the all-sky image showing the fireball of March 6 obtained by the automatic digital all-sky fireball camera at the station of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute in Kocelovice (photo: ASÚ AV ČR).

Michael Krippner, a member of our community “Linzer Astronomische Gemeinschaft” (LAG) , AWB-affiliate since 2009, has discovered the first fragment of the dropped down meteorite on 12 March.

Photocredit: Sabine Krippner & Ondrejov-Observatoriums

The rapid success in the search for the meteorite pieces was possible by the fact that the night fireball has been dedected of several automatic cameras of Czech Fireball network . Dr. Pavel Spurny from the observatory Ondrejov was able to narrow the area by evaluating the recordings, and he informed Dieter Heinlein (section meteors/VDS -German association of amateur astronomers ). Heinlein organized a first field search in the Austro-Bavarian border region between Braunau / Simbach and Bad Fuessing. Already on the first day of the search Michael Krippner succeeded on the Bavarian side of the Inn.

After the first finding more fragments were found in the immediate surrounding which are all parts of an apparently on the ground broken piece of meteorite. All found pieces together have a mass of about 45 g. The largest piece with a mass of just 24 g was discovered by Michael's wife Sabine.

The meteorite pieces are currently being processed scientifically. Since the scientists assume that more material has reached the ground, the search continues.

For more information about this meteorite fall, see the emissions of the University of Münster (German written) and the Ondrejov Observatory (in English).

Congratulation to all for this successful cooporation !