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POLSKIE TOWARZYSTWO METEORYTOWE HISTORY |
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Interest in meteorites in Poland increased highly thanks to unremitting popularization work done by Andrzej S.Pilski - an astronomer from Frombork. It was also significant that two new Polish meteorites were found - Baszkowka (1994) and Zaklodzie (1998).
Amateurs of meteorites have met for several years. First, such meetings took place
during Meteor-Meteorite Seminars which were popular science meetings joint with
lectures and presentation of papers. The first day of such meetings was usually
intended for meteors and the second one entirely for meteorites. Starting from
1998, Meteorite Picnics have been held - the first two were organized by
Grzegorz Pacer in Rudnik Wielki near Czestochowa, and the next two by Stanislaw
Jachymek in Guciow near Zamosc. Furthermore, meteorite-amateurs meet during
mineral exchange markets in Poland, meteorite markets abroad and on hunting
expeditions to places of meteorite falls.
At the same time, several research institutions (such as Institute of Nuclear
Chemistry and Technology in Warsaw, Polish Geological Institute in Wroclaw,
Polish Geological Institute in Warsaw) and universities (including Faculty of
Physics at Warsaw University of Technology, Faculty of Earth Sciences at
University of Silesia in Sosnowiec, Faculty of Mineralogy, Petrography and
Geochemistry at AGH University of Technology in Cracow, Faculty of Physics at
UMCS (Maria Curie-Sklodowska University) in Lublin, Faculty of Geoengineering,
Mining and Geology at Wroclaw University of Technology, Faculty of Physics at
Technical University of Lodz) conducted research of meteorites which led to a
number of scientific works on that subject.
The idea of establishing the Society developed before a trip of collectors’
group to international Gifhorn meteorite fair (Germany) which took place in the
fall of 2001. An idea appeared then that
the Polish group should have a common identity mark such as, for example, a
badge placed on clothing. The first
owner of the badge was mayor of the town where the mentioned meteorite fair was
held. The badge was prepared by
In April 2002 Polish Meteorite Society was formally brought into
existence.