Barwell Meteorite BM1966,64
Barwell Meteorite BM1966,64
This Barwell meteorite sample was part of the UK's largest recorded meteorite fall. It fell to Earth in the village of Barwell on Christmas Eve 1965 - less than 15 miles from the National Space Centre. In total around 44 kilograms of meteorite were discovered, as meteorite hunters descended on the Leicestershire village.Barwell is a Stony meteorite, of the ordinary chondrite group. It contains chondrules - small round mineral grains, believed to be the building blocks of the rocky inner planets. They formed as molten droplets in space, before joining together with other materials to form larger objects like asteroids. Chondrules are some of the oldest solid material in the Solar System, and when they are present in a meteorite like this one, we know that they have not melted since they were first formed. This means that they have not changed for 4.55 billion years - making them older than the Earth.
The Barwell meteorite fall caused minor damage around the village, with one meteorite crashing into a car. Unsure of what had happened, the car's owner threw the meteorite away into a neighbouring field. Once he realised what he had lost, he sadly never found the piece again - it would have paid for a new car. Trying to claim on insurance, the car's owner was told that it was considered an 'act of God' by his insurance company - and therefore they would not pay out. He took his claim up with the local church, who also refused to pay out.
All images:
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![Barwell Meteorite sample BM1966,64. On loan from the Natural History Museum, London]()
Barwell Meteorite sample BM1966,64. On loan from the Natural History Museum, London -
![Barwell Meteorite sample BM1966,64. On loan from the Natural History Museum, London]()
Barwell Meteorite sample BM1966,64. On loan from the Natural History Museum, London -
![Barwell Meteorite sample BM1966,64. On loan from the Natural History Museum, London]()
Barwell Meteorite sample BM1966,64. On loan from the Natural History Museum, London -
![The Barwell meteorite sample being returned to the village to mark the addition of a Green Plaque commemorating the fall - Credit: Leicestershire County Council]()
The Barwell meteorite sample being returned to the village to mark the addition of a Green Plaque commemorating the fall - Credit: Leicestershire County Council
Audio
Meteorites and Fusion Crust
More information
Object number
L2001-52
Location
Our Solar System Gallery
Curator's comments
In the audio clip you can hear our curator explaining the fusion crust that is often found on Stony meteorites
Has this object been into space?
Yes
Dimension - Dimension, Value, Measurement unit
Height: 70mm
Width: 165mm
Length: 210mm
Weight: 3425g
Material
Chondrules
Olivine
Iron-Nickel Alloy (Meteoric Iron)
Troilite
Ilmenite
Feldspar
Hypersthene
Materials & techniques note
Stony meteorite - L6 ordinary chondrite
Partially crusted piece of the L6 meteorite
Associated Place
Leicestershire
Barwell
United Kingdom
Credit Line
Specimen on loan courtesy of the Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
On Display Status
On display
Copyright and Photos
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Individual objects on loan to the National Space Centre may have additional copyright permissions, so advice should always be sought before use.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
