Title: Meteoric Falls in the U.S.S.R. Authors: Astapowitsch, I. S.
Meteorite at Kukschin, Nezhin, Tschernigow, Ukraine. This meteorite fell on June 11, 1938, at about 11h U.T. (2h p.m.). The place of the fall is 0.9 km. east of the village of Kukschin, Nezhin district, Tschernigow region (lat. 57° 03' N., long. 31° 50' E.), 25 km. north-west of the town Nezhin. The sky was quite cloudless; but no conspicuous optical phenomena were witnessed. Acoustic phenomena, resembling the roar of distant thunder or gunfire, were heard over an area of 12 km. radius. Their duration was on the average 8 sec. Three shepherds, G. Pivovar, I. Miroshnikov and I. Mosko, heard, moreover, a noise and whistle and had a glimpse of a grey or bluish body cutting itself into the ground a few metres from them; a cow fell to the earth at a distance of 4.5 m. About one hour later they took the meteorite out of the pit, 30 cm. deep, it had formed. Its top was 2 cm. below ground. The soil is here dried up owing to drought, but is normally swampy and covered with grass. The fallen meteorite, weighing 2,250 gm., of irregular shape, with smoothed angular contours, scattered the earth 5 cm. from the edges of the pit, mostly in the eastern direction.
