| Norton County | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Achondrite |
| Class | Asteroidal achondrite [ citation needed ] |
| Group | Aubrite |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Kansas |
| Coordinates | 39°41′N99°52′W / 39.683°N 99.867°W Coordinates: 39°41′N99°52′W / 39.683°N 99.867°W [1] |
| Observed fall | Yes |
| Fall date | February 18, 1948 |
| TKW | 1100 kg |
Norton County is an Aubrite meteorite that fell in 1948 in Kansas, United States.
After a brilliant fireball and a loud noise, a very large shower of meteorites fell over a large area of Norton County (Kansas) and Furnas County (Nebraska) on February 18, 1948. On April 28, a research team from the University of New Mexico set out to identify and recover pieces of the meteorite. Everything that they recovered was either donated to or sold to the university. [2]
Norton County is a Ca-poor aubrite fragmental breccia.[ citation needed ]
The main mass (about 1,070 kilograms (2,360 lb)) is the center piece of the meteorite display at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.[ citation needed ]
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A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate energy. It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting star; astronomers call the brightest examples "bolides". Once it settles on the larger body's surface, the meteor becomes a meteorite. Meteorites vary greatly in size. For geologists, a bolide is a meteorite large enough to create an impact crater.
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