The meteorite fall of Elmshorn on 25.04.2023

Two surveillance cameras located near the property were able to capture the meteorite fall. Although there is no video footage of the meteorite fall itself, the approaching meteorite is heard as an increasing hissing sound and the dull impact on the lawn. The impact left a hole about 40 cm deep with a diameter of about 30 cm.

Using the two recordings, the time of impact was determined to be exactly 2:16:21 PM CEST (± 1 second). If we combine this information with the recordings from the AllSky7 AKM62 camera in Bremerhaven, it results in an approximate blind flight time of 1 minute and 55 seconds. There is a certain uncertainty of a few seconds, as no camera recorded the end of the luminous trail. 

The frequency spectrum of the audio signal from the second recording could be visualized using the software SpectraLayers. The frequencies can be seen in a spectrum from 100 Hz to 4 kHz. It is noticeable how the whistling of the approaching meteorite comes from the higher frequencies and deepens over time. This is due to the Doppler effect. At the impact itself, the frequencies shift from low to high ranges. Furthermore, there is almost silence just before the impact.