Free Astronomy Magazine November-December 2016

SMALL BODIES veracity of these tales. Therefore, in 1576 the very first military expedition was orga- nized by Tucumán’s governor, Gonzalo Abreu y Figueroa, to a vast area in the border between the young provinces of San- tiago del Estero and Chaco, an area which the indigenous called Piguem Nonralta (or Ha- tum Pampa) and the Spanish translated it to Campo del Cielo. the memory of that impressive event. When in the mid-sixteenth century the Spanish reached these territories, they learned about these re- mote happenings and, since iron was such an important resource, espe- cially for military purposes, they de- cided to check the T he map on the side shows where the prov- inces of Chaco and Santiago del Estero are locat- ed, where in be- tween it extends Campo del Cielo. Below we see the gigantic meteor- ite El Chaco, the world’s second bigger meteorite before the discov- ery of Gancedo. [Insituto Turismo Chaco]