# PF120916 Piecki fireball and Reszel meteorite fall

## TL;DR

This paper details the observation and analysis of the Piecki fireball over Poland, including its trajectory, velocity, and potential meteorite fall area, but no meteorites were recovered.

## Contribution

It provides the first precise orbit and atmospheric trajectory of the Piecki fireball based on multi-station video data, and estimates the meteorite fall area.

## Key findings

- Fireball entered atmosphere at 16.7 km/s
- Terminal velocity was 5.0 km/s, indicating possible meteorite survival
- Predicted impact area was searched but no meteorites found

## Abstract

On September 12, 2016, at 21:44:07 UT, a -9.2 +\- 0.5 mag fireball appeared over northeastern Poland. The precise orbit and atmospheric trajectory of the event is presented, based on the data collected by six video stations of Polish Fireball Network (PFN). The PF120916 Piecki fireball entered Earth's atmosphere with the velocity of 16.7 +\- 0.3 km/s and started to shine at height of 81.9 +\- 0.3 km. Clear deceleration started after first three seconds of flight, and the terminal velocity of the meteor was only 5.0 +\- 0.3 km/s at height of 26.0 +\- 0.2 km. Such a low value of terminal velocity indicates that fragments with total mass of around 10-15 kg could survive the atmospheric passage and cause fall of the meteorites. The predicted area of possible meteorite impact is computed and it is located south of Reszel city at Warmian-Masurian region. The impact area was extensively searched by experienced groups of meteorite hunters but without any success.