In the early hours of January 21st, a meteorite crossed the sky over Berlin. What made it unique was that it fell into the category of asteroids detected before impact. Scientists found pieces of it and determined it belonged to a rare group of achondrites.
A Record Rotational Speed for a Meteorite
Today, researchers reveal a third reason why 2024 BX1 should not be considered like other meteorites. In a study not yet peer-reviewed, they estimated that the asteroid traveling at 50,000 km/h was also spinning on its axis once every 2.588 seconds. This is the fastest rotational speed ever recorded for a near-Earth object. Previously, the record was held by 2020 HS7 with a rotation period of 2.99 seconds.
To measure this, astronomers developed a new technique. By using a long exposure time for photos where the Berlin meteorite appears as a streak in the starry sky, changes in brightness along its path revealed its rotational speed.
The Berlin Meteorite Advancing Planetary Defense
Evaluating the rotational speed of such asteroids could advance planetary defense by providing insights into the likelihood of near-Earth objects surviving entry into our atmosphere and causing damage on the ground.
The Meteorite That Disintegrated Above Germany Is Extremely Rare!
Article by Nathalie Mayer
A few days ago, a spectacular meteor lit up the sky in Germany. The object, named 2024 BX1, had been spotted a few hours earlier, becoming the eighth asteroid whose impact had been predicted. Researchers from the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, as well as colleagues from the Freie Universität Berlin and the German Aerospace Center, now report that they have managed to find some pieces of the meteorite, further enhancing the story of 2024 BX1.
Aubrite type meteorites in Germany
The first meteorite, the size of a walnut and originating from a field about 80 km northwest of Berlin, has been analyzed. It turns out that the meteorite belongs to a rare group of achondrites: the aubrites. Less than 90 samples of this type have been found in only a few locations worldwide.
Researchers explain that aubrites look like gray granite and are mainly composed of magnesium silicates, enstatite, and forsterite. There is no iron present, and the fusion crust is very different from that of other meteorites.
Additional pieces of 2024 BX1 are currently being analyzed.
Spectacle in the sky of Germany: a meteorite disintegrated hours after its detection
Early on Sunday, January 21, 2024, an asteroid struck the Earth, creating a meteor, a spectacular shooting star in the sky of Berlin, Germany.
The one-meter-diameter asteroid had been spotted a few hours earlier by Krisztián Sárneczky, a Hungarian asteroid hunter who has identified three out of the eight asteroids detected before impact to date.
The object was initially named Sar2736, then more officially 2024 BX1. The NASA quickly relayed the information just minutes before the asteroid entered our atmosphere.
There was no risk to the population as astronomers believe that small meteorites may have reached the ground, but the bulk of the object disintegrated well before, offering lucky spectators the sight of a wonderful ball of fire in the sky.