Summary

2023 CX1 was the seventh object to be detected before impacting the Earth. The meteoroid was discovered at Konkoly Observatory (Hungary) on 12 February 2023 and impacted the atmosphere over the British Channel six hours later.

Discovery circumstances and follow-up

2023 CX1 was the second imminent impactor discovered by Krisztián Sárneczky, less than a year after 2022 EB5. This time the object was found more than 6 hours before impact, allowing for a timely alert to the community of European observers.

A few hundred observations were collected between discovery and impact, not only from Europe but also from South Africa and the United States, providing sufficient information for an excellent trajectory determination. The object was predicted to enter the Earth's atmosphere over the English Channel, and then move towards land in Normandy, France.

Trajectory in Space

In the video below, the vernal equinox is to the right, while the view is tilted 45 degrees to the ecliptic.

2D Impact Corridor

The plot below shows the entry point on the ground, without including the atmospheric effects.

3D Impact Corridor

The highlighted area in the animation below represents the 1-σ (in red) and the 3-σ (in orange) fall area of the propagated object without including the atmospheric effects.

Atmospheric Phase Details

Over 80 visual reports were submitted to the International Meteor Organization from France, United Kingdom, Germany and even Belgium. The UKMON and AllSky7 camera network detected the fireball across the English Channel and onshore close to the coast north of Normandy at the predicted time.

Search for Meteorites

A meteorite search campaign was organized shortly after the fall by FRIPON/Vigie-Ciel comprising scientists and volunteers, that rapidly found the first meteorite. During the first week up to 12 fragments were recovered from the strewnfield that stretches over the village on Angiens, and the search continues.