Meteor hits above Indonesia

William Atkins
Monday, 26 October 2009 17:56

Science - Space

The location of the meteor explosion was centered at 4.5 degrees South latitude, 120 degrees East longitude. The object was probably about 20 to 30 feet (5 to 10 meters) in length.

The approximate location (above water or land) where the meteor exploded was not able to be determined. However, it was stated that the explosion "... was relatively near the coast." [Report]

According to the Sky and Telescope article, “… this was the most powerful meteoric blast since 1994, when a "mini-Tunguska," nearly as bright as the Sun, exploded over the tiny Pacific island of Kosrae.”

The meteor explosion is not an unusual or rare event on Earth. Silber and Brown state that such explosions occur about once every two to twelve years.

NASA's NEO office states, "As a rule, the most common types of stony asteroids would not be expected to cause ground damage unless their diameters were about 25 meters in diameter or larger."

The report released by Silber and Brown on October 19, 2009, appears at the bottom of the NASA/JPL website earlier referenced. It is titled “Summary of Preliminary Infrasonic Analysis of the Oct 8, 2009 Indonesian Superbolide.”