Messengers from Infinity
Meteorites are fragments of rock or metal from Space that reach the Earth’s surface passing through the atmosphere. They are formed primarily from space debris, like asteroids or comets, which disintegrates as it passes through our planet’s atmosphere. They can thus be defined as “Messengers from Infinity.”
Meteorites are objects of great scientific interest as they provide us with valuable information on the origin and evolution of the Solar System. Studying them helps us to understand how the planets and celestial bodies were formed and gives us insight into the geological processes that have shaped our solar system.
It is estimated that between 10 and 50 meteorites reach the Earth every day: only a few are found, as the Earth’s surface is approximately 75 percent water (oceans, seas, lakes, etc.) and there are vast areas of desert.
And yet it is important that we do find them. They are space matter that we can actually get our hands on and, as such, they are a cost-effective and direct means of looking into our origins. They tell us how they got here: by analysing their chemical composition, age, and morphology, we can trace where they came from. They are likely fragments of asteroids and comets, which is the case most of the time, but some meteorites might even have come from the Moon or from Mars.
In the surrounding territories, about a hundred small meteorites have been recovered. Among them is the specimen (weight 81.6 g), purchased thanks to Giovanni Ammendola, on display at the Museo Mineralogico Campano. The estimated mass of the meteoroid has been calculated at 10,000 tons, with a diameter between 15 and 17 meters. The fall of the celestial body was one of the most documented and filmed in history, with about 960 videos. The explosion of energy, equivalent to about 500 kilotons, caused a shock wave that damaged civilian and industrial buildings in six cities in the region, injuring over 1,000 people.