On January 21st, 2024, an asteroid measuring about one meter in size, named 2024 BX1, penetrated Earth’s atmosphere and detonated over Berlin at 12:33 am UTC (07:45 pm EST; 04:33 pm PST).

Before entering Earth’s atmosphere, 2024 BX1 was categorized as a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) with an orbit suggesting its affiliation with the Apollo group.

Subsequently, fragments of the asteroid were located by a collaborative team of scientists from the Freie Universität Berlin, the Museum für Naturkunde (MfN), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Technische Universität Berlin, and the SETI Institute.

These fragments were identified as a rare class of asteroid known as “aubrites.”

The name “aubrites” originates from the French village of Aubrés, where a similar meteorite fell on September 14th, 1836, Science Alert reported.

The recovery of samples from this recent meteorite was led by SETI Institute meteor astronomer Dr. Peter Jenniskens and MfN researcher Dr. Lutz Hecht.

Their team, comprised of staff and students from the MfN, Freie Universität Berlin, DLR, and Technische Universität Berlin, located the meteor fragments in fields just south of the village of Ribbeck, approximately 50 km (31 mi) west of Berlin.

Identifying the fragments posed a significant challenge due to the distinctive appearance of aubrites.

While these asteroids resemble typical rocks from a distance, they exhibit notable differences upon close examination.

Unlike other meteor types with a black glass crust caused by extreme atmospheric heat, aubrites feature a predominantly translucent glass crust.

Written by B.C. Begley