Neuschwanstein (meteorite)

The meteorite Neuschwanstein reached on April 6, 2002 at 22:20:18 CEST near Füssen in Bavaria near Neuschwanstein Castle in German - Austrian border region ( Oberammergau Alps) Earth.

The original meteoroid burst at an altitude of about 22 kilometers above the ground into several fragments that fell over a several square kilometer area. So far three of these fragments are recovered with a total mass of about six kilograms. Neuschwanstein was classified as an enstatite chondrite (type EL6 ), an extremely rare group within the stone meteorites. He is considered the first meteorite in Germany ( and as the fourth world ), which could be found on the basis of simultaneous photographic records.

Meteorite fall and recording

The 90.6 km long tracer of the meteor in the Earth's atmosphere began at an altitude of about 85 kilometers above Innsbruck with an incident angle of about 49 degrees to the horizontal and ended 16.04 km above the earth's surface. Shortly before, at an altitude of about 22 kilometers, the so-called inhibition point burst the bolide, and the short afterglow fragments went into the so-called dark flight phase, where they fell down without further luminous phenomena.

The inlet velocity of 20.95 kilometers per second of up to 500 kilogram celestial body in the earth's atmosphere has been decelerated by atmospheric friction. During the transition to the dark phase of flight, they still amounted to about 2.4 kilometers per second. After another five seconds, the fragments below the speed of sound and went into freefall, which lasted about 108 seconds. The impact velocity on the surface of the earth was ultimately about 250 to 280 kilometers per hour. In the lower atmosphere (troposphere), the fragments were distracted contrary to their original flight direction by the wind.

The European Fireball Network access records of the case with several fireball stations, including armed home near Augsburg, Přimda (Czech Republic) and Gahberg ( Austria ). With this stereo recording the trajectory of Neuschwanstein by triangulation could be reconstructed fairly accurately with the inclusion of the former wind conditions. However, since the trajectories of the individual fragments could not be specified more precisely, a several square kilometer decline area ( so-called distribution ellipse) was determined in the German - Austrian border region between Füssen and Garmisch -Partenkirchen.

Reconstructed trajectories of individual fragments in the dark phase of flight under wind influence (top view); at the time of the case, the wind was blowing from the northwest to north.

Wind offset of Neuschwanstein during the dark phase of flight (side view ); the horizontal axis (distance ) is stretched by a factor of three.

Media attention and eye witness reports

Noteworthy was the stir that caused the fall of this meteorite. Throughout Bavaria reported concerned citizens the bright light phenomenon call the police. Itself known in the local offices of the newspapers and regional radio and television stations, hundreds of random observers, so that the bolide was a corresponding echo in the media. In southern Bavaria, especially in the Greater Garmisch -Partenkirchen, a loud " drumming" and thunder and the shaking of windows were perceived. Even more than 200 kilometers away recognizable by the brightness of the meteor in the middle of the night shadows of trees. Witnesses compared the apparent brightness of the meteor with the full moon ( to -13 mag). The subsequent analysis of the photographs of the European fireball network showed that the meteor with up to -17.2 may even still was far brighter. After the bolide had burst in about 22 kilometers altitude, raining down about half a dozen yellow- orange nachglühender fragments in parabolic trajectories down. The total duration of the play was about six seconds. When it was a few weeks after the region from which the meteorite fragments were descended, began a rush of meteorite hunters on the area around Neuschwanstein, Füssen and the Ammer Mountains.

Analysis of the heliocentric orbit

From the data records of the European Fireball Network, the orbit of the meteoroid could Neuschwanstein (European Network -Name: EN060402 ) can be calculated back to the sun. It was found that they coincided almost exactly with the path of the meteoroids Pribram ( EN070459 ), whose case had been already recorded on 7 April 1959 in the former Czechoslovakia. It is therefore obvious that both meteorites could come from the same parent body. Pribram, however, is an ordinary chondrite (type H5 ). A comparison of the cosmogenic isotopes of the two stones results for Neuschwanstein an age of 48 million years for Pribram, however, 12 million years. A common parent body would have to be heterogeneous in nature. It could, however, to a held together only by the gravitational " pile of rubble " (English rubble pile ) act, which was shattered by a collision with another celestial body. A clear mapping to a origin asteroids is difficult. The orbits of several earth's orbit cruisers come the meteorite orbits of Neuschwanstein and Pribram very close to, inter alia, of the minor planet 2002 EU11, 2002 and QG46 ( 4486 ) Mithra, which could also be a rubble pile.

Finds

The experts expedition by the German Aerospace Center (DLR ) on 1 May 2002, which was initially delayed by the winter weather, was the main potential fragment of the meteorite (at that time to about seven kilograms estimated). This could not be found despite an intensive search. It has been suggested on the southern slopes of the High ostrich mountain, near Neuschwanstein or on the northern edge of the Ochsenälpeleskopfs. Overall, the DLR estimated the initial total mass of the meteoroid to about 300 kg, of which about 20 kg would ultimately reaches the ground.

Neuschwanstein I

After a week-long search in the target area, two Berlin amateur astronomers finally succeeded on July 14, 2002, the first discovery: a 1750 -gram fragment of the meteorite was only about two miles from the expected landing point of the main fragment and only 400 meters from the side of the calculated trajectory of the meteor on the western flank the Ochsenälpeleskopfs ( coordinates of the locality: 47 ° 31 '30 " N, 10 ° 48 ' 30" O47.52510.808333333333, 1650 m above sea level, rounded values ​​. ). Probably the fragment was taken to a higher place in a thick blanket of snow and until the snow melts down for later reference rolled. It was named because of its proximity to the famous Castle on the name " Neuschwanstein ".

Neuschwanstein II

On 27 May 2003 another meteorite piece of two young men from Bavaria was on the northern edge of the Ochsenälpeleskopfs discovered (coordinates: . 47 ° 32 '0 "N, 10 ° 48 ' 0" O47.53333333333310.8 1491 m above sea level, rounded values ), after they had already spent several weeks looking. The approximately fist-sized piece weighed 1625 grams Fund. It probably struck at high speed ( 250 km / h) on the earth's surface and penetrated into the forest floor. The Finder it had to recover from a five inch deep trough. Since the fragment was inserted over a year in the humid mountain forest soil, it showed traces of corrosion ( rust ).

Neuschwanstein III

Almost exactly a month later, on 29 June 2003, which so far last, and with 2842 grams largest meteorite fragment was recovered. It was on a steep scree slope on the northern flank of the old mountain in the Austrian Tyrol ( Coordinates:. 47 ° 31 '0 "N, 10 ° 49 ' 0" O47.51666666666710.816666666667, 1631 m above sea level, rounded values). Also, this fragment is likely to have been promoted during the snow melt down the valley. A German physicist had its location determined through calculations and computer simulations. A form factor in the calculation of wind drift during the dark phase of flight was misjudged in the first analysis by DLR. After evaluation of the first two finds of this was revised, resulting in the discovery of Neuschwanstein III after re- model calculations.

Meanwhile, it is assumed that far less material has reached the ground than originally thought, and you look at Neuschwanstein III as the main mass of the meteorite. Most likely, there are other meteorite fragments. Given the facts that the affected area is mostly very difficult to access, partly life-threatening, is regularly affected by severe erosion and was already overgrown within several growing seasons of plants, it seems unlikely that this will be the future yet to be discovered.

Material Analysis

The meteorite fragment Neuschwanstein I was examined chemically and petrological in September 2002 at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz and at the Institute for Planetary Sciences in Münster. For this purpose, a total of 45 grams of material were removed. Accordingly, the three Neuschwanstein fragments the group of enstatite chondrites (type EL6 ) are to be assigned, a very rare group of stony meteorites ( chondrites ).

Among other things, the following minerals were detected:

• The silicate mineral enstatite ( Mg 2 [ Si2O6 ] )
• Plagioclase
• The extremely rare mineral sinoite ( Si2N2O )
• Graphite
• Schreibersite ( (Fe, Ni, Cr) 3P)
• Oldhamite
• Daubréelith ( Fe2 Cr3 2 S4)
• Alabandin ( α - MnS )
• Silica (SiO2)

At the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg measurements of natural radioactivity were performed on all three fragments. Based on the contents of cosmogenic radioisotopes, such as 7Be (half-life: about 53 days), 22Na, 26Al, 54Mn and 57Co could be closed on the actual extraterrestrial origin of the finds. Measurements of the contents of purely terrestrial radioisotopes (eg 137Cs released by the Chernobyl disaster ), where the meteorite fragments were exposed since her case, also showed that these were fragments of the fallen meteorites in April 2002. Thus, it could be recovered in Germany for the first time a meteorite by means of photographic records and model calculations.

Legal situation and whereabouts of the finds

At the two pieces found in Germany Neuschwanstein Neuschwanstein I and II of Bavaria claimed co-ownership by asking them ( BGB § 984 ) evaluated under German law as treasure. It finally came to extrajudicial agreements: Bayern bought the finders of Neuschwanstein I half from their page. The piece was properly preserved this way and can be visited since July 2003 in the Ries Crater Museum in Nördlingen.

The Finder proportion of Neuschwanstein II fragment could be bought, however, due to money and lack of interest on the part of the State not. Then the meteorite had to be effectively shared in February 2004, whereby he was in his totality irrevocably destroyed. The finders have their half further divided in the sequence, and sold samples to museums, institutions and private collections. The other half of Neuschwanstein II is owned by the Mineralogical State Collection Munich and the public is inaccessible because it is solely for research purposes.

To the third, Neuschwanstein III called meteorite find of kindled an unusual case: the Austrian village of Reutte in Tirol claimed the ownership of the found object, as was the locality in their field, and put action before the Landgericht Augsburg on publication of the meteorites. The German court dismissed the action on 6 June 2007 from under Austrian law: it handle at the found object is not a treasure, but an unclaimed object. Also, there is no so-called growth on which the municipality automatically have a claim ownership. This means that all property rights have been awarded to the finder in the first instance. The Mayor of Reutte laid after an appeal against that decision before the Higher Regional Court of Munich. In January 2008, both parties agreed on a settlement, under which the finder of Neuschwanstein III to Reutte paid a compensation payment and the court costs took over. In return for this he could keep the meteorite fragment, whose value was estimated at approximately 200,000 to 300,000 euros. Until now ( early 2012 ) has been taken with the Finder no definitive agreement as to when and under what conditions Neuschwanstein III will be made available to the public. Reportedly, negotiations for the sale of the Natural History Museum in Vienna.

From 28 March 2012 until September 23, 2012 were Neuschwanstein I, Part II of Neuschwanstein and Neuschwanstein III issued on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the fall in the Ries Crater Museum Nördlingen.

In the few states there are legal regulations on meteorite finds. Of crucial importance is whether a meteorite is found on private property or in public access areas, as was the case with Neuschwanstein. In Germany, the Fund in accordance with § 984 BGB public lands initially a co-ownership of the Finder provided on meteorites ( Hadrian's division ) by an analogous application of the rules for the treasure trove is assumed. In some states, however, can still access the treasure trove, after completely and automatically becomes the property of the country an object of particular scientific or cultural importance with his finding, regardless of whether he is found on private property or public property. In such a case finder and property owners get nothing. Occasionally, they will also receive a compensation or reward. Only Bavaria and North Rhine -Westphalia have no such treasure trove and proceed according to the Civil Code. It is noteworthy that the Neuschwanstein meteorite in the first place a considerable financial value was attributed due to the enormous scientific importance and rare material, but probably also due to its reverberation in the media. In this respect, the fragments I and II pursuant to an opinion of the Bavarian Ministry of Science classified as " treasure like", although they are not quite fulfilled according to § 984 BGB this definition, since they neither one previous owner had had for a long time located in secret.

Similarly unclear is the situation under Austrian law. There, the collection of minerals is allowed in the wild, unless carried out recovery equipment is employed.