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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 1Cite as

Meteorite, Orgueil

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Definition

The Orgueil meteorite fell on May 14, 1864, near the village of the same name, in the south of France. With a mass of 14 kg, it is the biggest sample of the C I carbonaceous chondrite group, which represents the most primitive bodies of the solar system. Its composition is identical to that of the Solar photosphere, except for the lightest elements hydrogen and helium. An important discovery was the detection of a high abundance of isotopically anomalous xenon which could be the signature of presolar material. The Orgueil meteorite also contains many amino acids. Recent studies suggest that Orgueil has a cometary origin.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. LESIA – Bâtiment ISO (n°17), Observatoire de Paris – Section de Meudon, 5, Place Jules Janssen, 92195, Meudon, France

    Therese Encrenaz

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  1. Therese Encrenaz
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Correspondence to Therese Encrenaz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Encrenaz, T. (2014). Meteorite, Orgueil. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_976-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_976-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Meteorite, Orgueil
    Published:
    28 December 2022

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_976-4

  2. Original

    Meteorite, Orgueil
    Published:
    28 April 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_976-3

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