AUSSON Chondrite Meteorite French Historic Fall From 1858

Ausson
History (P.-M. Pelé, meteor-center.com): On December 9, 1858, in the early morning, the inhabitants of the Haute-Garonne department observed a bright meteor in the sky, then heard a loud detonation followed by a continuous rumble. The meteor moved from northeast to southwest, according to witnesses. The luminous phenomenon was not observed in Toulouse, or no witness spoke about it. Two meteorites were found: one fell in a field located at the bottom of the hill which leads to Montréjeau, near the village of Ausson, weighing between 40 and 45 kg; the other stone, weighing 8 to 10 kg, fell on a barn belonging to Mrs. Capéran, next to the Clarac church. It was noted that a hole similar to that of Ausson was observed in the commune of Cassagnabère-Tournas, located more than 20 km from Ausson, but no stone seems to have been found there. The two meteorites picked up near Ausson and in Clarac were broken by the inhabitants, and they shared the pieces. Fortunately, the members of a commission set up by the Academy of Sciences of Toulouse managed to get beautiful pieces from the fall.