What was the Wethersfield double meteorite fall?
Two separate meteorites struck houses in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1971 and 1982, an extraordinary coincidence.
The town of Wethersfield, in Connecticut in the United States, has the unusual distinction of being hit by two different meteorites, eleven years apart.
The first fall. On 8 April 1971, a meteorite crashed through the roof of a house, embedding itself in the ceiling of the living room. It weighed about 350 grams. Nobody was hurt. It was found to be an L6 ordinary chondrite.
The second fall. On 8 November 1982, another meteorite crashed through the roof of a different house about 3 kilometres away. It bounced through the living room, ending up in the dining room. It weighed about 2.7 kilograms and is an L6 ordinary chondrite too. Again, nobody was injured, though the residents were at home watching television.
Names. The meteorites are named Wethersfield (1971) and Wethersfield (1982) in the official records.
Coincidence. Scientists examined both meteorites and found that they were separate falls, not pieces of the same meteoroid, despite their similar type. The chance of two meteorites hitting houses in the same town within about a decade is extremely small. It is a good example of how unlikely events can and do happen, given enough time and places.
Statistics. Only a few dozen buildings worldwide are known to have been struck by meteorites. Wethersfield shows that while each event is rare, coincidences are possible.