Meteorite falls of 861
One meteorite in the catalogue is recorded as a witnessed fall in 861: Nogata, in Japan.
Why 861 matters
The oldest meteorite whose fall was witnessed and whose stone still survives. A 472-gram L6 chondrite came down at Nōgata in southern Japan on 19 May 861 and has been kept at a Shinto shrine ever since. Its true nature was confirmed only in 1979.
What fell in 861
| Meteorite | Country | Class | Mass recovered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nogata | Japan | L6 | 472 g |
Nogata: the catalogue gives 860, but Japanese records date the fall to 19 May 861.
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.