Case file · Cosmic event
The Tsarev meteorite shower
On 6 December 1922 a fireball was seen over the north of Astrakhan province and stones fell near the village of Tsarev; rumour gave it fantastic size, but the stones were only recovered decades later.
1922 CE · 48.70, 45.70 · status: official
The account
Over 1.2 tonnes of L5 chondrite in more than 40 pieces, the largest about 284 kg, are now known, making Tsarev the largest stony meteorite shower recorded in Russia. Contemporary newspapers called it a 'fiery serpent in the sky of Tsaritsyn uyezd'.