Meteorite falls of 1768
2 meteorites in the catalogue are recorded as witnessed falls in 1768, in 2 countries. The largest recovered mass is Mauerkirchen, at 19 kg.
Why 1768 matters
A stone fell at Lucé in France on 13 September 1768. A commission of the French Academy of Sciences, which included the chemist Antoine Lavoisier, concluded that it was an ordinary rock struck by lightning: a famous example of experts rejecting a real fall.
What fell in 1768
| Meteorite | Country | Class | Mass recovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucé | France | L6 | 3.5 kg |
| Mauerkirchen | Austria | L6 | 19 kg |
A witnessed fall is a meteorite seen or heard coming down and then picked up, as opposed to a find, which is discovered later with no record of its arrival. The mass is the total recovered, often from many pieces.