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TOPIC: 8TA9D69
Blobrana


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RE: 8TA9D69
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Farewell to a small asteroid that became a big fireball

IMAGE (285kb, 900 × 551)

Earth Impactor 2008 TC3 en route to Northern Sudan
tracked by La Sagra Sky Survey, Spain

The La Sagra Sky Survey is a survey for asteroids and comets, conducted at the Observatorio de La Sagra (OLS) in Andalusia, Spain. It is operated by the Observatorio Astronomico de Mallorca (OAM), Balearic Islands, Spain.

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Blobrana


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Although astronomers were only able to establish the object and its trajectory hours before impact, it would still be enough to evacuate people in the area. Fortunately, this wasnt en emergency case, as the asteroid died in a fiery display above Sudan.

Source


We must meet this threat with our courage, our valour, indeed with our very lives to ensure that human civilization, not insect, dominates this galaxy, now and always! - Sky Marshal Dienes.

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Anonymous

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Many thanks for the excellent reporting of this event, Blobrana.


(If a mod feels this is spurious, at least pass on the thanks from the no doubt many anons that appreciate Blob's work.)

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Blobrana


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The asteroid was about the size of a car and entered the atmosphere over the African country of Sudan going about eight miles a second.
So far there are no reports of damage. It is believed that the space rock burned up before reaching the ground, although small pieces could have made it to the ground.

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Blobrana


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"it will make a long trail in the atmosphere. But we cannot honestly predict how long it will be. (The rock) might end up quite far above the Red Sea or Saudi Arabia or it might explode and disappear sooner" - Andrea Milani Comparetti, University of Pisa, Italy.

Source

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Blobrana


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Asteroid 2008 TC3
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For the first time, an asteroid, detected at 06:39 UT, 6th October, 2008, with an intersecting earth orbit, was followed continuously until its final approach.
The faint asteroid 2008 TC3, with a diameter of approximately 3 metres, was observed, or followed, by bloggers and astronomers around the world.
The many resultant observations narrowed down the orbital elements and timings.
No less than 25 MPECs were published in the evening by Minor Planet Centre, on the position of 2008 TC3.
The object was predicted to enter the Earths atmosphere at 2:45: 28 UT (± 15 seconds) 7th October, 2008, and reach a maximum deceleration at 2:45: 54 UT (± 15 seconds) when it was approximately 14 kms in altitude.
Fragmentation impact or terminal flight was at 2:46: 20 (UT ± 40 seconds), depending on the makeup and composition of the asteroid.
The atmosphere entry point was predicted to be north of Sudan, at a relative speed of 12.8 km/s under an angle of 19 degrees.
Luckily, a few moments before impact, the small asteroid 2008 TC3 entered the earths shadow at 01:50 UT, 7th October.

A KLM airliner, which was roughly 1400 km south-west of the impact position, observed a flash at the predicted time of 02:46 UT.

Another pilot reported the following:
"Yes, I saw it from over central Europe - a bigger brighter trail than the usual shooting star, terminated by an explosion. All over in about a second, but definitely an unusual event."
Source

As yet there is no visual confirmations from the impact zone.

Congratulations to Mount Lemmon telescope/Catalina Sky Survey.

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Blobrana


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Observers reported that the object apparently burned up in the atmosphere.
By all accounts, the boulder-sized object did not strike Earth itself.
SpaceWeather.com quoted Dutch aviation meteorologist Jacob Kuiper as saying that an airline crew witnessed a flash that matched the expected coordinates for the fireball.

Source

Ed ~ IMHO, because of the speed and angle of  entry, there is a very real possibility that parts of the meteor did reach the ground.  Valuable meteorites are very likely scattered along the ground track.

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Blobrana


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Impact zone

Scatterfield4.jpg

Latitude: 20.85640, Longitude: 33.23906

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Blobrana


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A Air-France-KLM flying over Chad spotted a meteor in a north-easterly direction.

30532588.5b730f.jpg

-- Edited by Blobrana at 07:24, 2008-10-07

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Blobrana


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"I have received confirmation that a KLM airliner, roughly 750 nautical miles southwest of the predicted atmospheric impact position, has observed a short flash just before the expected impact time 02:46 UTC. Because of the distance it was not a very large phenomenon, but still a confirmation that some bright meteor has been seen in the predicted direction. Projected on an infrared satellite-image of Meteosat-7 of 0300 UTC, I have indicated the position of the plane (+) and the predicted impact area in Sudan (0)" - Jacob Kuiper, General Aviation meteorologist at the National Weather Service in the Netherlands.

Source Spaceweather

IMAGE

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