Observation of the fall and discovery of a new iron meteorite in Poland

On April 17, 2026, at 20:53:59 PM (6:53:59 PM UT), a bright fireball appeared over the Greater Poland and Łódź Voivodeships and was visible for over 18 seconds from many regions of Poland. On the first night after the flyby, we determined the meteoroid's atmospheric trajectory and orbit, and then determined its potential impact site. Data from 25 observation stations in our network allowed us to determine that an iron meteorite weighing several kilograms fell in the Zadzim commune (Łódź Voivodeship). The meteorite was found on Wednesday, April 22.

The recordings and data captured by our stations were quickly transferred to Mateusz Żmia, the network's founder, who began a comprehensive analysis. The extensive observational material allowed for the rapid determination of the meteoroid's basic parameters and a preliminary area of ​​potential impact. The fireball was also observed by hundreds of witnesses across Poland, who eagerly shared their accounts and recordings. 

The beginning of the search 

The first members of our network arrived in the designated area on Saturday, April 18th, in the afternoon. Their reconnaissance revealed a suitable search area – some fields had not yet been sown, and the farmers had agreed to allow them to pass through fields with relatively low vegetation, primarily winter grain. Therefore, on Sunday, April 19th, 26 people from our network traveled to the site and searched a significant portion of the designated area for a specimen estimated to weigh between 1,5 and 4 kg. Drones and metal detectors were also used. However, no trace of the meteorite was found that day.

After the weekend, we began consultations with a team of scientists from the Institute of Astronomy of the Czech Academy of Sciences, who helped us narrow down the search area. We shared recordings from the two cameras closest to the meteoroid's trajectory with the Czech scientists, and the researchers compared them with results obtained from European Network (EN) stations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. On Wednesday, Pavel Spurný, Jiří Borovička, and Lukáš Shrbený informed us that the single specimen from this fall should have a mass of approximately 2,7 kg. This value was derived from dynamic data as well as recordings from specialized radiometers used by Czech researchers, which record the fireball's light at a frequency of 5000 Hz. 

Using this information, Mateusz Żmija and Gábor Kővágó re-simulated the impact of a 2,5–3 kg meteorite, significantly narrowing the search area. The resulting field measured approximately 300 x 200 m.

Verification of the updated area

On Wednesday, April 22, several members of our network returned to the site. One pair of searchers was Anna Walczak and Paweł Walczak. They spotted a slightly elliptical hole in the ground, approximately 40 cm deep, from which they recovered a 2,9 kg iron meteorite specimen. The discovery location confirmed our simulations, as the specimen was located within both the original and narrowed fall zones, and close to their center line. Because the meteorite stabilized during its passage through the atmosphere, its shape is oriented – it resembles a triangular disc measuring approximately 14,5 x 11,5 x 6,5 cm. It is covered with a fusion crust and numerous trickles of solidified material.

The finders meticulously documented the fall site and secured and initially cleaned the specimen with the help of Professor Szymon Kozłowski (University of Warsaw). Consultations then began with partner research institutions regarding the study of the meteorite. In the case of meteorites found fresh after the fall, measuring short-lived radioactive isotopes is crucial. These measurements are scheduled to begin at the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Świerk on Saturday, April 25th. Following the completion of the measurements, which will take several weeks, the meteorite's composition will be analyzed and its official classification will be conducted by experts from several Polish universities. The meteorite has primarily scientific value, a fact the finders are well aware of. They have declared their willingness to donate the required sample for classification and to display the meteorite in museum exhibitions, thereby contributing to the development of Polish science and serving a significant educational purpose.

These are also the main goals of the Skytinel network – supporting fireball observations and professional localization of meteorite falls in order to maximize their scientific value and contribute to the popularization of knowledge about cosmic matter.

This is the first iron meteorite in Poland found immediately after an observed fall. Previous finds of this type have come exclusively from ancient falls and were most often discovered accidentally – during earthworks or excavations. These include Seeläsgen (1847), Schwetz (1850), Morasko (1914), Krzadka (1929), as well as Tartak (2012) and Lechówka (2014). The remaining Polish iron meteorites are made of meteoritic iron, such as the Częstochowa Rakow I, Częstochowa Rakow II, and Wietrzno-Bobrka. 

It is also the second iron meteorite in the world with a "pedigree," a precisely determined orbit prior to atmospheric entry based on data collected by fireball networks. We are confident that thanks to our passion, work, and commitment, this meteorite will be the subject of numerous scientific publications.

It's a curious coincidence that the fall of this meteorite occurred during the 14th Meteorite Conference in Koluszki, organized by the Polish Meteorite Society in collaboration with Paweł Walczak, one of the finders of the specimen. Furthermore, the fall was recorded by the SN12 Koluszki station, managed by Paweł Walczak, and the Koluszki Space Station.

Thanks to the excellent weather, the fireball was registered by significantly more Skytinel stations: 

SN03 – Rzeszów (Rzeszów University of Technology)
SN07 – Bodzentyn (Mateusz Roman)
SN09 – Piotrowice (Radzimir Zawal)
SN11 – Wroclaw (Witold Hanak)
SN14 – Warsaw (Marcin Hajwos)
SN17 – Lipowy Most (Wojciech Burzyński)
SN19 – Duszniki (Radosław Wilde)
SN20 – Ostrowik (University of Warsaw Astronomical Observatory)
SN21 – Olsztyn (Olsztyn Planetarium and Astronomical Observatory)
SN22 – Śrem (Michał Kwieciak)
SN23 – Polanka Wielka (Rzeszów University of Technology)
SN24 – Pruszcz Gdański (KrisPrg AstroPruszcz)
SN29 – Knyszewicze (Stanisław Nicewicz)
SN33 – Kozienice (ZS1 Kozienice – Kozienice Fireball Station)
SN34 – Luszewo (Łukasz Załęcki)
SN35 – Ciółkowo Rządowe (Rafał Mąka)
SN37 – Koźlice (Ireneusz Kobus, Maciej Kwiatkowski)
SN42 – Szczecin (Jan Woreczko)
SN44 – Przedbórz (AstroLife Observatory)
SN45 – Niedźwiady (Niedźwiady Astronomical Observatory – PPSAE)
SN46 – Płock (Przemysław Jarosiński, Konrad Kosmatka)
SN50 – Suhora (Suhora Astronomical Observatory). 

Due to the large number of detections, this is the best-documented meteorite fall in the history of our network. For the first time, we also used data from our spectrographs at the following stations in our meteorite fall analysis: 

SN38 – Chrzanów Mały (Paweł Zaręba)
SN47 – Zabierzów Bocheński (Tomasz Żywczak)

The fireball's spectrum, obtained using spectrographs, was analyzed by Dr. Ernest Świerczyński (Astrum Narus Foundation), which enabled the meteoroid's composition to be determined. The obtained results clearly confirmed that the meteorite entered the atmosphere as an iron meteorite.

Orbit and atmospheric trajectory

Before entering the atmosphere, the meteoroid orbited the Sun in 1,5 Earth years, moving in an orbit inclined to the ecliptic plane at an angle of 7°. At its farthest point, it was close to the inner planets of the Solar System – the aphelion distance was about 1,76 AU. 

It entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of approximately 13 km/s and at an angle of 69° to the ground. Because the meteoroid did not undergo significant fragmentation and disappeared from view only 14 km above Earth, we expected it to be an extremely durable object, likely composed primarily of iron. Our suspicions were confirmed by data from spectrographs—both those operating in our network and those used by researchers at the Institute of Astronomy of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

Additional information and thanks

At this stage, we will not disclose the exact location where the specimen was found. Furthermore, we do not expect that many other fragments are still located in the fall area – our models indicated a single specimen fell, and inspection of the main mass revealed a small loss of part of the specimen. This loss is partially melted and occurred at a significant altitude, so the missing fragment could be very far from the main mass, if it even reached the Earth's surface. There is a risk that it has melted completely. Finally, we would like to thank the members of our network for their significant commitment to the observations and search, Anna and Paweł Walczak for immediately making the meteorite available for study and their exemplary attitude towards scientific needs, and the hundreds of witnesses to the fireball who shared their accounts with us. These accounts will be included in the documentation of this meteorite fall and will go down in the history of Polish science.

We are incredibly happy that our observations and analyses have led to the discovery of another meteorite in Poland, following last year's falls in the Drelów and Poświętne areas. We continue our observations with hope for further success.