* Astronomy

jsmiddy · New

Bells meteorite

Blobrana · L

A detonating fireball, September 9, 1961, over northeast Texas resulted in a fall of meteorites. By a prompt survey and long continued search some seven fragments totalling about 10 ounces were retrieved along a line some four miles long near Bells, Grayson County, Texas. The first fragment hit the roof of a house and was picked up next morning in a perfect, fresh state.

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Blobrana · L

Title: The soluble organic compounds of the Bells meteorite: Not a unique or unusual composition
Authors: Monroe, Adam A.; Pizzarello, Sandra

The Bells meteorite is a CM2 chondrite that has long been considered anomalous for having mineralogical and isotopic differences with CMs together with an overall affinity to CIs in its matrix. We extracted a fragment of the only Bells stone collected unweathered with water and solvents and studied the meteorite's soluble organic composition. We found Bells to contain abundant organic compounds, which are predominantly O-containing such as hydroxy- and di-carboxylic acids, and a scarcity of amino acids and other N-containing compounds. Amines were not detected and ammonia is less abundant than in both the Murchison and Ivuna meteorites. Overall, Bells' soluble organic composition is more similar to that of Ivuna than of Murchison. The observation that Bells' amino acid suite shares a distinct distribution of characteristic molecular species with other stones that are thought to have experienced extensive parent body aqueous alteration, such as the Orgueil, Ivuna and recently analyzed GRO 95577 CR1 meteorites, seems to allow the suggestion that such a composition is secondary to prolonged aqueous alteration processes that superseded some of the initial compositional distinctions determined by the asteroidal environments.

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Blobrana · L

The fall of the Bells meteorites was accompanied by a detonating bolide observed over the north-east part of Texas. Seven fragments with a total weight of about 280 gr were collected over distance of about 7.5 km. The first fragment hit the roof of a house and was picked up the following morning in a perfect state. The remaining specimens were found after a hurricane and rainfall in a more or less altered state. Two of these were substantially intact but the other four had shattered on impact or crumbled through weathering. The fragments, an even powder, were admirably picked up by Alnico magnet.
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Blobrana · L

The Bells (C2-ung) meteorite fell in Texas, USA, on the 9th September, 1961.
A total mass of 0.375 kg was recovered.

33° 36'N, 96° 28'W