Meteorite fall over Sardinia, Italy — INAF calls for meteorite hunt

A bright fireball streaked through the night sky over Sardinia, Italy at 21:53 UTC on October 8, 2023. The fireball was recorded by two Sardinian Prisma cameras.

Based on the results of the calculations made by the Prisma team, the fireball became visible at an altitude of 78.3 km (48.6 miles) and disappeared at 28 km (17.4 miles). The 51.5 km (32 miles) long trajectory was covered in just 3.6 seconds.

According to the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), what’s left of the object fell near Armungia, a small town located 65 km (40 miles) from Cagliari. The projected landing spot of the meteorite is believed to be around 1.1 km (0.68 miles) to the northwest of Armungia’s center, in a region that’s quite rugged and heavily wooded.

In a recent social media update, INAF extended an invitation to individuals located in Sardinia to join them in their search for the meteorites.

The institute provided necessary guidance for those interested in participating, while also cautioning that the search might be challenging due to the small size of the meteorite—measuring between 4 to 5 cm (1.6 – 2 inches) in diameter.

However, thanks to the sharp angle of its descent, the dispersal area for meteorites weighing between 50 to 200 grams (1.76 to 7.05 ounces) spans only about 800 meters (2 625 feet) in length and ± 200 meters (656 feet) in width, covering a total surface area of 0.3 km² (0.12 mi²).

References:

¹ A caccia della prima meteorite sarda – INAF – October 13, 2023

Featured image credit: INAF