The journey of this iron rock from the far reaches of the universe ended with a thud in a dense pine forest about an hour north of Stockholm around 10pm four years ago in November. .
Unusually, its orbit was captured by multiple cameras in the area used to track meteoroids. This began a weeks-long search and an even longer legal battle over the unusual question of who owns the eerie object that fell to Earth.
The case took another turn on Thursday, when the Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the landowners, overturning a ruling that sided with the two men who recovered the meteorite.
A few days after the rock landed, geologist Anders Zetterqvist discovered the spot where it first hit the ground. After weeks of searching, his friend and fellow geologist Andreas Forsberg spotted a 30-pound lump sticking out from where the moss had bounced, about 70 feet away.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime discovery for me,” he said. “It was so spectacular. And then I realized it was only a few weeks old.”
Most of the meteors that reach the Earth's atmosphere burn out upon impact, leaving only traces of light called meteors in the sky. The iron meteorite north of Stockholm is the 10th new fallen meteorite discovered in Sweden (newly fallen, not older and buried underground), and one of the few new fallen iron meteorites discovered. It was one of the Forsberg said:
A few weeks later, the men took the rock to the Swedish Museum of Natural History, where it has been kept since 2020.
“We were worried that hundreds of people from all over the world would show up looking for more,” Forsberg added. “Better, bigger works could be leaving the country without us even realizing it.”
“This is a textbook example of an iron meteorite,” said Dan Holtstam, a senior researcher in the museum's geoscience department.
“Iron meteorite falls are rare worldwide. This is the only time an iron meteorite fall has been observed in Sweden,” Dr Holtstam added. “I've been in earth science for about 40 years, and this was the first time I'd ever touched a freshly fallen meteorite.”
In addition to their scientific value, meteorites are also prized by collectors. Dr. Holtstam said that in the global market for private collectors, such collectors could earn tens of thousands of dollars.
About a week after geologists announced their discovery, the owner of the land where the meteorite was found, Johann Benzelstilna von Engeström, sent a letter to the museum claiming ownership.
A legal battle ensued.
Laws regulating the ownership of discovered meteorites vary from country to country. Sweden has nothing. In France and Morocco, on the other hand, “the person who touches it first owns it,” Dr. Holtstam said. In Denmark they are state property.
In December 2022, the Uppsala District Court ruled in favor of the geologists and deemed the meteorite to be movable property. “Newly fallen meteorites are not part of the land on which they fell,” the judge said in a statement.
The landowner appealed. On Thursday, the Stockholm Court of Appeal ruled in his favor.
Justice Robert Green, one of the four judges presiding over the case, said the appeals court's decision focused on two issues. One is whether meteorites are considered “real estate” property, and the other is the scope of Swedish common law, known as “Allemansletten”, which governs meteorite rights. of public access.
The law applicable to real estate (houses and land) is clear, the judge said.
“The starting point with real estate is that the landlord has a right to it,” he said in an interview Friday. “But this case is special because there are no special laws regarding meteorites.”
Allemansletten gives everyone in Sweden the right to move in nature, including hiking, cycling and camping, even on private land.
“This includes the right to take berries and even small stones from someone else's property,” Justice Green said.
Plaintiffs argued that the right to pick up small items could also include amber and more valuable items. However, in his judgment, Justice Green said: “Although meteorites may intuitively seem like foreign objects, it is most realistic to consider meteorites and space rocks to be part of real estate just like other rocks.'' “We evaluated it as being accurate.” Earth. “
One judge disagreed, arguing that while meteorites should be considered real property, common law also applies in this case and should be interpreted to include the right to extract meteorites from private property.
“It was interesting and important to try this because Alemansurat has far-reaching effects on everyone,” Judge Green said.
In an interview, Benzelstirna von Engeström praised the ruling, saying, “We would like to retain ownership, but we would like to permanently loan it to a Swedish museum.''
He did not say which museum it was, but said he wanted to make sure it was in the public interest.
The geologists have not decided whether to appeal to the Swedish Supreme Court.
Forsberg said he was disappointed with the appeals court's decision.
“It's very sad for me and my friends,” he said. “I've been passionate about collecting rocks and fossils all my life.” He added, “It's sad for all the hobbyists out there who are interested in discovering new meteorites. If you don’t think you will receive it, how can you send people out to search?”