Sylacauga (meteorite)

The Sylacauga meteorite fell on November 30, 1954, at 12:46 local time (18:46 UT)[1] in Oak Grove, Alabama, near Sylacauga, in the United States. It is also commonly called the Hodges meteorite because a fragment of it struck Ann Elizabeth Fowler Hodges (1920–1972).[2]

Sylacauga
A slice of the meteorite, the National Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian, DC
TypeChondrite
ClassOrdinary chondrite
GroupH4
CountryUnited States
RegionAlabama
Coordinates33°11′18.1″N 86°17′40.2″W
Observed fallYes
Fall date18:46 UT on November 30, 1954
TKW5.54 kg
Strewn fieldYes
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Incident

Impact

The grapefruit-sized fragment crashed through the roof of a farm house, bounced off a large wooden console radio, and hit Hodges while she napped on a couch.[3] The 34-year-old woman was badly bruised on one side of her body, but was able to walk and able to take photos showing the fresh wound.[4]

Fireball

The meteor made a fireball visible from three American states as it streaked through the atmosphere, even though it fell early in the afternoon.[5] There were also indications of an air blast, as witnesses described hearing "explosions or loud booms".[6]

Following events

The meteorite was confiscated by the Sylacauga police chief, who then turned it over to the United States Air Force.[7] Both the Hodgeses and their landlord, Bertie Guy, claimed ownership of the rock, Guy's claim being that it had fallen on her property.[7] The Hodgeses and Guy settled, with the Hodgeses paying $500 for the rock.[7] However, by the time it was returned to the Hodgeses, over a year later, public attention had diminished, and they were unable to then find a buyer.[7][8]

Ann Hodges was uncomfortable with the public attention and the stress of the dispute over ownership of the meteorite.[9] The Hodgeses donated it to the Alabama Museum of Natural History in 1956.[7]

The day after the fall, local farmer Julius McKinney came upon the second-largest fragment from the same meteorite.[10] An Indianapolis-based lawyer bought it for the Smithsonian Institution.[10] The McKinney family was able to use the money to buy a car and a house.[10]

Other instances of people being hit by meteorites

The earliest claim of a person being hit by a meteorite comes from 1677 in a manuscript published at Tortona, Italy, which tells of a Milanese friar who was killed by one, although its veracity is unknown.[11] The Tunguska event in 1908 is reported to have caused three casualties.[12] In 1992 a small meteorite fragment (3 g) hit a young Ugandan boy in Mbale;[13] it had been slowed by a tree and caused no injury.

On the night of October 3, 2021, a meteorite fell through the roof of a house in Golden, British Columbia, landing on a sleeping woman's pillow, but without harming her.[14]

Fragments

Upon the entry into the atmosphere, the Sylacauga meteorite fragmented into at least 3 pieces:[1]

  1. The Hodges fragment (3.86 kilograms (8.5 lb)) – 33°11′18.1″N 86°17′40.2″W) struck Ann Elizabeth Hodges.[15]
  2. The McKinney fragment (1.68 kilograms (3.7 lb)) – 33°13′08.4″N 86°17′20.7″W) was found the next day December 1, 1954, by Julius Kempis McKinney.[10]
  3. A third fragment is believed to have struck the Earth somewhere near Childersburg (a few km north-west of Oak Grove).

Classification

The Sylacauga meteorite is classified as an ordinary chondrite of H4 group.[2]

Orbit

The meteoroid came in on the sunward side of the Earth, so when it hit, it had passed the perihelion and was traveling outward from the Sun. Considering the orbit estimations, the best candidate as parent body is 1685 Toro.[1]

See also

References
  1. Povenmire, H. (1995). "The Sylacauga, Alabama Meteorite: The Impact Locations, Atmosphere Trajectory, Strewn Field and Radiant". Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. 26: 1133. Bibcode:1995LPI....26.1133P.
  2. Meteoritical Bulletin Database: Sylacauga
  3. Grundhauser, Eric (June 2, 2015). "The Meteorite That Landed on a Woman in Alabama". Slate. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  4. "Ann Hodges shows off her bruise after being hit by a meteorite, 1954 - Rare Historical Photos". December 8, 2016.
  5. Swindel, G.W.; Jones, W.B (1954). "The Sylacauga, Talladega County, Alabama, Aerolite". Meteoritics. 1 (2): 125–132. Bibcode:1954Metic...1..125S. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.1954.tb01323.x.
  6. Underwood, Madison (February 15, 2013). "Russian meteorite blast recalls the Alabama woman struck by a meteorite in 1954". al.com. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  7. Nobel, Justin (February 20, 2013). "The True Story of History's Only Known Meteorite Victim". National Geographic.
  8. "Hundreds of amphibian species all over the world killed by fungus infection, but there may yet be hope". July 10, 2014.
  9. Nobel, Justin (February 20, 2013). "The True Story of History's Only Known Meteorite Victim". National Geographic. Retrieved May 3, 2015. Ann later suffered a nervous breakdown, and in 1964 she and Eugene separated. She died in 1972 at 52 of kidney failure at a Sylacaugan nursing home. Eugene suspects the meteorite and frenzy that followed had taken its toll on Ann. He said 'she never did recover,' according to the museum. Ann 'wasn't a person who sought out the limelight,' added museum director Randy Mecredy. 'The Hodges were just simple country people, and I really think that all the attention was her downfall.'
  10. Ellington, M.J. (November 30, 2006). "A star fell on Sylacauga: '54 meteorite struck home, woman, changed lives". The Decatur Daily. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  11. "Zeus Displeased". Futility Closet. January 12, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  12. Gritzner, C (1997). "Human Casualties in Impact Events". WGN. 25: 222. Bibcode:1997JIMO...25..222G.
  13. "The Mbale Meteorite Fall". Dutch Meteor Society. 2002. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  14. Brend, Yvette (October 12, 2021). "Woman rocked awake by meteorite chunk crashing into her bedroom". CBC News. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  15. Blackwell, Phil. "10 Unlikely Events That Actually Happened". The Perch. The Perch. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
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