




Meteorites are solid bodies from space that enter Earth's atmosphere and reach the surface. They primarily originate from asteroids, though there are also meteorites that come from Mars or the Moon. Meteorites, especially chondrites, are remnants from the early phase of our solar system and remained more or less unchanged since then.
Most meteorites are fragments of asteroids and originate from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. When these fragments enter Earth's atmosphere as meteoroids, they burn up due to their high speed and become visible as fireballs. If material survives the atmospheric entry and reaches Earth's surface, it can be collected as a meteorite. The majority of meteorites are "finds" and are discovered in hot and cold deserts, such as the Sahara or Antarctica, where they fell thousands of years ago and are easy to spot during expeditions.
Although fireballs caused by meteoroids entering the atmosphere occur regularly, actual meteorite falls are rarer. These are particularly valuable for research, as meteorites on Earth are quickly altered by high humidity and water.
Meteorites provide us with unique insights into the early history of our solar system. By studying them, we can reconstruct processes within the solar system, examine rock samples from the Moon, Mars, and asteroids, and gain a deeper understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system. Research focuses on various topics, such as the formation and development of chondrites and their components, the brecciation and reaccretion of meteorite parent bodies, the role of fluids and volatile elements in asteroids, the formation and evolution of differentiated meteorite parent bodies, and the experimental study of meteorites as analog materials for asteroids.
The institute’s meteorite collection, hosting more than 4,000 different meteorites, is one of the largest in Europe. It is actively curated and extensively used for research purposes.
Peer-reviewed publications produced partially or totally by members of the “Meteoritics”-Group since 2010.
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