On 18 January 2020 at 16:44 UTC (17:44 local time), two fireball cameras in ESA’s FRIPON camera network spotted a stream of light in the skies above northwestern Germany. The trajectory of the ball of fire suggests a small meteorite could have landed in the vicinity of Oldenburg.
The object that impacted Earth on this occasion is estimated to have been just 10-40 cm in diameter, before it entered the atmosphere. The observed fireball flew in a south to north direction, west of the German city of Cloppenburg and heading towards the nearby city of Friesoythe.
It is possible that one, or even several small pieces survived the journey through our protective atmosphere and reached the ground as meteorites. Such meteorites however will be just a few grams in mass and difficult to find.
Find out more on the Rocket Science blog.