Part of comet hits Black Sea province

ORDU

The meteor falling was recorded by security cameras of a business.

A meteor that fell near the Black Sea province of Ordu’s Perşembe district last week was a part of Comet Wirtanen, the local governor has said, citing scientists.

Ordu Gov. Orhan Düzgün said the particle that hit the ground around 11 p.m. on Dec. 11 was estimated to weigh around one kilogram.

“Many eyewitnesses said a lighting-like object moved toward the Black Sea,” Düzgün said. “Scientists watched footage captured by some security cameras. One of them, Professor Fuat İnce, told us that the comet Wirtanen passed Earth between Dec. 10 and Dec. 14 and that the meteor that fell near our province could be a part that broke away from the comet.”

Wirtanen was discovered in 1948 and takes 5.4 years to orbit the sun.