Unique "Elmshorn" meteorite now on display at the Museum der Natur Hamburg

"This meteorite is a great addition to our museum," says Dr Stefan Peters, Head of Mineralogy at the Museum der Natur Hamburg, describing the new addition. The geoscientist has been researching meteorites for 15 years and explains: "Elmshorn" makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the early solar system and is therefore an extraordinary addition to our collection. It is the world's first mixed-rock meteorite composed of these two particular asteroids. The comprehensive documentation of the fall also writes a piece of North German history. It is a great success that we can present such a historic object to the public just a few kilometres from the impact site."

Science Senator Katharina Fegebank: "With the 'Elmshorn' meteorite, a piece of science that you can touch fell from the sky. It gives us new and fascinating insights into the origins of our solar system. And this cosmic find also shows how quickly and precisely scientific findings about its formation are possible. I am delighted that this unique find is now on display at the Museum der Natur for all curious and science-loving Hamburg residents."

After the International Meteorite Society recognised the object and named it "Elmshorn", the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change was able to acquire the meteorite for the Museum der Natur with the generous support of the Kulturstiftung der Länder. Prof Dr Frank Druffner, Deputy Secretary General of the Kulturstiftung der Länder: "The 'Elmshorn' meteorite case, which is unique in many respects, may provide new insights into our understanding of the early solar system. I am delighted that, with the support of the Kulturstiftung der Länder, it has been possible to secure these valuable natural history artefacts for science and make them accessible to the public in the region where they were found."

The meteorite fell onto a private property in Elmshorn in Schleswig-Holstein, just 30 kilometres from the Museum der Natur Hamburg. The documentation of the fall is unique in Germany: a surveillance camera recorded the impact acoustically. Shortly beforehand, as the rock flew through the earth's atmosphere, a meteor, a luminous phenomenon, could be seen in the sky over northern Germany and the Netherlands. On impact, the meteorite left a crater about 40 centimetres deep. These images of the meteorite's path through the atmosphere were taken by a meteor camera from the AllSky7 network in Bremerhaven.

A team of researchers, including museum director Stefan Peters from the Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB), carried out mineralogical and geochemical analyses and found that the meteorite contained debris from at least two different asteroids. From this, they concluded that two asteroids had apparently collided and been destroyed on their way around the sun. During the collision, fragments from the interior and surface of the two asteroids mixed together and merged to form the parent body of the "Elmshorn" meteorite.

Its history thus stretches back 4.5 billion years to the beginnings of our solar system. The asteroids, originally formed from grains of dust, later formed rocky planets like our Earth. Some asteroids remained and are still orbiting the sun today between Mars and Jupiter. "Elmshorn" belongs to the so-called chondrites, i.e. meteorites that have a similar chemical composition to the sun.

"The meteorite has stored information about this major collision between the two asteroids," says Stefan Peters enthusiastically. "It connects two groups of meteorites, some of which are currently falling from the sky worldwide. But this is the first time that we have found a mixed rock from these two asteroids. We have material from both parent bodies in our collection and now we also have the compound. This is a great addition to our collection."

With around 1,000 specimens, the Museum der Natur Hamburg has a large meteorite collection, including meteorites from Mars and a massive 424-kilogram iron meteorite. The pieces come from sites all over the world, many of them from Germany.

The "Elmshorn" meteorite will be presented to the general public for the first time during the Long Night of Museums on 27 April 2024.