Wycombe Astronomy Society (WAS)
What's On
If you are not a member of Wycombe Astronomical Society,
you are welcome to attend any of our meetings on a trial basis and with no charge.
Our hope is, therefore, to encouraging new members to join our Society.
Wed 19 May
|Coleshill Village Hall
Lecture - Dr Ashley King - How to Build a Planet: Insights from the Winchcombe Meteorite
Time & Location
19 May 2027, 20:00 – 22:00
Coleshill Village Hall, Barracks Hill, Coleshill, Amersham HP7 0LN, UK
About the Event
Meteorites are rocky and metal fragments from asteroids and other planets that record the story of the Solar System, from its formation 4.6 billion years ago through to the evolution of modern-day habitable environments. Most meteorites are recovered from deserts many years after landing on Earth’s surface, but in rare cases their journey through the upper atmosphere is observed as a spectacular fireball.
At 21:54 on 28th February 2021, a fireball was widely seen and recorded on numerous cameras over the UK. Early the next morning Winchcombe became only the 23rd meteorite to be recovered in the UK, and the first with a pre-atmospheric orbit directly linking it to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The first samples were collected ~12 hours after landing on a driveway, providing material largely uncontaminated by the terrestrial environment. Winchcombe was discovered to be a rare carbonaceous chondrite meteorite full of water…