The rocks that fell from the sky

The Origin of Meteoritics Ernst Florenz Chladni (1756-1827)

Abstract

For many centuries, the idea of rocks falling from the sky seemed inconceivable to scientists. The prevailing belief was that meteorites were of terrestrial origin, possibly originating from rocks ejected by distant volcanoes or hurricanes, or that they had somehow formed in the atmosphere. For thousands of years, people around the world had reported such phenomena, which were often simply considered divine omens. It wasn't until 1794 that German physicist Ernst Florenz Chladni was the first to publish a book, in which he affirmed the idea that meteorites were rocks that did not originate on Earth, but came from outer space. He compiled all the available data on various meteorites and concluded that they must have originated in space. The scientific community of the time responded with resistance and ridicule. Almost a decade passed before the extraterrestrial origin of meteorites was generally accepted, which occurred primarily after French scientist Jean-Baptiste Biot collected data and testimonies on meteorite falls in 1803, in the skies above L'Aigle (Normandy), France. Biot's report became the definitive proof, leading to the final acceptance of the extraterrestrial origin of meteorites, as Chladni had postulated in 1794. Thanks to this publication, many scientists and experts on the subject have called Chladni, the "father of meteorites."