* Astronomy

December 7, 1863 about 11:30 am, a meteorite smashed onto the pavement of the  Tourinnes-la-Grosse road.   A report by the mayor of the town tells the event which broadly reads:

"An extraordinary weather phenomenon, which filled with terror the inhabitants of our country, occurred in Tourinnes-la-Grosse, at the place of the village called the Round Oak, on the main road, 80 meters from my farm and within 25 m of several workers' dwellings, Monday 7th, month of December 1863, around 11 am.   The sound of four successive detonations alerted public attention, then these initial explosions followed by a noise like, a little less intense but more prolonged, interspersed with a look resembling a fierce gunfight.   About 20 seconds later, when everyone rushed out of the house to talk about what just happened to produce a hissing noise like that produced by a steam leak...

At the same time many people saw clearly a cloud that had appeared to form in the direction from north to south and very obliquely come and shatter on the pavement in front of astonished spectators.   This strange phenomenon lasted about a minute and a half.   The crowd a little recovered from their amazement rushes to look closely at what they saw fall, surprise! they are pieces of stones of different sizes! "

Another fragment of the stone was picked up in a pine forest at 1795 m in a straight line from the first fall.   This fragment had cut a tree with a circumference of 26 cm at its base to a height of 2.28 m above the ground!

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