Apr 23, 2021 03:33 AM
https://www.sciencealert.com/astronomers...d-to-earth
EXCERPTS: The asteroid 2018 LA crashed into Earth in the Kalahari Desert on 2 June 2018 – and now scientists have been able to trace it back 22 million years to the place where it originated from. This is the first time a meteorite's entire voyage to Earth has been charted in this way, and it's only the second time that we've ever had the opportunity to observe an asteroid in space before it enters the atmosphere and becomes a meteor.
Based on those early observations, analysis of the recovered meteorite fragments, and various other factors, a new study pinpoints the origin of 2018 LA as Vesta – the Solar System's second largest asteroid and the only one that can sometimes be seen from Earth with the naked eye.
"Analysis of the meteorite indicates it was deeply buried under the surface of Vesta prior to being ejected all those years ago," says astronomer Hadrien Devillepoix, from Curtin University in Perth. "This achievement is complementary to sample-return probes like Hayabusa2. This research allows us to progressively map out the composition of the asteroid belt, and we can get a better idea of the type of material Earth-threatening asteroids are made of."
[...] When the 2018 LA asteroid hit Earth's atmosphere, it was travelling at some 60,000 kilometers-per-hour (37,282 mph), the data show. It would have had a 1.5-meter (4.9-foot) diameter, and a weight of about 5,700 kilograms (12,566 pounds). The meteor would have broken up around 27 kilometers (16.8 miles) above ground, the researchers established, creating a glow 20,000 times brighter than the full Moon as it entered Earth's atmosphere. A total of 23 meteorite fragments were ultimately recovered... (MORE - details)
https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/SrzSwBp7i3M
EXCERPTS: The asteroid 2018 LA crashed into Earth in the Kalahari Desert on 2 June 2018 – and now scientists have been able to trace it back 22 million years to the place where it originated from. This is the first time a meteorite's entire voyage to Earth has been charted in this way, and it's only the second time that we've ever had the opportunity to observe an asteroid in space before it enters the atmosphere and becomes a meteor.
Based on those early observations, analysis of the recovered meteorite fragments, and various other factors, a new study pinpoints the origin of 2018 LA as Vesta – the Solar System's second largest asteroid and the only one that can sometimes be seen from Earth with the naked eye.
"Analysis of the meteorite indicates it was deeply buried under the surface of Vesta prior to being ejected all those years ago," says astronomer Hadrien Devillepoix, from Curtin University in Perth. "This achievement is complementary to sample-return probes like Hayabusa2. This research allows us to progressively map out the composition of the asteroid belt, and we can get a better idea of the type of material Earth-threatening asteroids are made of."
[...] When the 2018 LA asteroid hit Earth's atmosphere, it was travelling at some 60,000 kilometers-per-hour (37,282 mph), the data show. It would have had a 1.5-meter (4.9-foot) diameter, and a weight of about 5,700 kilograms (12,566 pounds). The meteor would have broken up around 27 kilometers (16.8 miles) above ground, the researchers established, creating a glow 20,000 times brighter than the full Moon as it entered Earth's atmosphere. A total of 23 meteorite fragments were ultimately recovered... (MORE - details)