Ensisheim Meteorite Is The Oldest Meteorite With A Precise Date Of Impact

Question: What is the oldest meteorite with a precise date of impact?

Answer: The Ensisheim meteorite is one of the earliest and precisely dated cases of a meteorite fall on record. Its descent took place around noon on Nov 7, 1492.

A loud explosion preceded the arrival of a 127-kg stone meteorite that struck the earth ground in wheat field near the village of Ensisheim, in the province of Alsace, France, which at the time was part of Germany.

Holy Roman emperor, Maximilian I (1459 -1519) summoned his council to determine the important of this event; their verdict was that the meteorite was a good omen for success in Maximilian’s wars with Turkey and France.

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Maximilian ordered the Ensisheim stone to be placed with an appropriate inscription in the local parish church. The meteorite was fixed to the wall with iron crampons to prevent it from wandering at night or being removed.

It is now protected in the town of Ensisheim but over centuries,  visitors managed to chipp off about 56 kg (123 pounds) of its original 127-kg mass.

People believed the object was of supernatural origin, so they wanted to have a souvenir.

The Ensisheim meteorite is classified as an ordinary chondrite, the most abundant meteorite class, constituting more than 85 percent of meteorite falls.

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