Possible meteorite impact sighted

This just popped up on my Facebook feed, not sure of the validity of the claim just yet, but pretty cool if true.

I'll update as I know more..

a reply to: Chadwickus

Whats a "shooting start"?

I know, maybe it was a drone strike. Is ISIS in Australia?

a reply to: Chadwickus

The flames make me suspicious: meteorites are not hot; their surface is heated by the compression of the column of air as they fall through the atmosphere, but that heated surface ablates, carrying the heat away. Meteorites are cool to the touch! It might be some sort of space junk, I suppose, but even then there shouldn't be a fire unless some propellant ignited or something.

a reply to: DJW001

Yep it is very possible the two events are unrelated.

It does seem as a bright fireball was spotted though, as there are reports of it over Geraldton, over 1000km south of Port Hedland.

a reply to: intrptr

Some of my fellow countrymen aren't so good with the linguistics.

originally posted by: Chadwickus
a reply to: intrptr

Some of my fellow countrymen aren't so good with the linguistics.

Or powers of observation, apparently.

If they saw a shooting star, they wouldn't see it fall all the way to ground. Those cool long before they reach the lower atmosphere, falling 'harmlessly', thud.

If he saw something trailing sparks "hit behind the gokart track", then it has to be something else.

perhaps that Dark, Space weapons platform the USA has.... shot one of their Rods from God kinetic projectiles at the country....
? a warning to keep in-line with the coalition? or something

the previous 2 impacts were aimed at Chinese chemical/scientific facilities where a lot of fire or thermal release functions were seen on the impact zones

originally posted by: DJW001
a reply to: Chadwickus

The flames make me suspicious: meteorites are not hot; their surface is heated by the compression of the column of air as they fall through the atmosphere, but that heated surface ablates, carrying the heat away. Meteorites are cool to the touch! It might be some sort of space junk, I suppose, but even then there shouldn't be a fire unless some propellant ignited or something.

So you would be fine picking one up after it has just hit the floor?

originally posted by: FawnyKate

originally posted by: DJW001
a reply to: Chadwickus

The flames make me suspicious: meteorites are not hot; their surface is heated by the compression of the column of air as they fall through the atmosphere, but that heated surface ablates, carrying the heat away. Meteorites are cool to the touch! It might be some sort of space junk, I suppose, but even then there shouldn't be a fire unless some propellant ignited or something.

So you would be fine picking one up after it has just hit the floor?

Yes, using rubber gloves to prevent contaminating it with terrestrial organic materials.

originally posted by: Chadwickus
a reply to: intrptr

Some of my fellow countrymen aren't so good with the linguistics.

You can say that again!!


Surely if a huge fireball burst through the sky and caused that line of fire.. this guy wouldn't still be standing beside the lorry with the go karts..

Yah. If you think about it, space rocks are cold frozen when they initially enter the atmosphere. Friction heats their outer skin but the object slows down quickly, the skin burning off as it does (called ablation).

Whats left is still frozen as it begins to fall to earth at the same velocity as a person in free fall. Small enough to pick up when it lands, it would be cold to the touch.

Bigger objects might make impacts that would release energy and heat from the collision.
The object over Russian exploded from the friction in the atmosphere, releasing its energy high up. If it had come straight in instead of at a shallow angel, it might have reached the ground with enough force to cause a crater and damage locally from debris and ground shaking.

Lots of determining factors.

search

originally posted by: DJW001
a reply to: Chadwickus

The flames make me suspicious: meteorites are not hot; their surface is heated by the compression of the column of air as they fall through the atmosphere, but that heated surface ablates, carrying the heat away. Meteorites are cool to the touch! It might be some sort of space junk, I suppose, but even then there shouldn't be a fire unless some propellant ignited or something.

If a fragment of metal punctured some other metal containing combustible materials, then the sparks might set off a fire.

a reply to: intrptr

I learned something new today! I always thought they would be hot to the touch. So what part of the meteorite is supposed to be so valuable? Is there some solid material there?

a reply to: WeRpeons

I guess that some of you are limited as to what can fall out of the sky. Iron meteorites are rare, but they fall out of the sky also. Yes, they are deep frozen in space, but good lord people that ride through the atmosphere is faster than a microwave for heating things up. Don't expect to pick one up as it plops down, as some seem to suggest. I am amazed at the knee jerk responses to this and other threads by some folks.

originally posted by: WeRpeons
a reply to: intrptr

I learned something new today! I always thought they would be hot to the touch. So what part of the meteorite is supposed to be so valuable? Is there some solid material there?

Still and all, there aren't that many instances of instant capture of meteorites, and of those reported some said hot, others warm or even icy.
So the consensus on a meteorite's behaviour, as sensible as it is, is based on very little data from actual meteorite finds.

curious.astro.cornell.edu... rth-intermediate

originally posted by: DJW001
a reply to: Chadwickus

The flames make me suspicious: meteorites are not hot; their surface is heated by the compression of the column of air as they fall through the atmosphere, but that heated surface ablates, carrying the heat away. Meteorites are cool to the touch! It might be some sort of space junk, I suppose, but even then there shouldn't be a fire unless some propellant ignited or something.

this just isn't true. at least not of all meteors. There are well known photos of a woman with a huge burn mark from getting smacked by one that fell through her roof.

firsttoknow.com...


EDIT: though this article is saying it was just a bruise. i could have sworn i remember reading some articles about it being a burn.

a reply to: WeRpeons

So what part of the meteorite is supposed to be so valuable? Is there some solid material there?

All of whatever makes it to ground is valuable, some more than others.

The Russian meteorite left lots of bits… google 'pieces of russian meteorite' and click on images

originally posted by: intrptr
a reply to: WeRpeons

So what part of the meteorite is supposed to be so valuable? Is there some solid material there?

All of whatever makes it to ground is valuable, some more than others.

The Russian meteorite left lots of bits… google 'pieces of russian meteorite' and click on images

Ironically, the most valuable, are those that have been seen to fall and have been recovered, and amongst those ones that have clobbered a building, vehicle or someone. That just shows how much of a rarity that kind of event is.

a reply to: stormbringer1701

EDIT: though this article is saying it was just a bruise. i could have sworn i remember reading some articles about it being a burn.

You assumed it said "burned" because you've seen too many science fiction movies. As has been pointed out, when a large enough body impacts the Earth, a lot of kinetic energy is released, and that could lead to fires breaking out. The thing is, if it were that large, it would have shown up on seismographs.

a reply to: smurfy

So the consensus on a meteorite's behavior, as sensible as it is, is based on very little data from actual meteorite finds.

I did say lots of contributing factors.

There are thresholds. If something flatter comes in shallow and slower, its going heat more than something thats smaller and dives straight in.

Logically speaking.