2017 China bolide

2017 China bolide
Date October 4, 2017 (2017-10-04)
Time 20:07 local time (12:07 UTC)
Location Yunnan, China
Coordinates 28°06′N 99°24′E / 28.1°N 99.4°E / 28.1; 99.4Coordinates: 28°06′N 99°24′E / 28.1°N 99.4°E / 28.1; 99.4
Cause meteor
Impact energy: 0.54 kiloton
Radiated energy: 192 GJ[1]

On October 4, 2017 around 8:07 PM local time, an extremely bright meteoroid fell over the northern Yunnan province of China, reaching maximum brightness roughly 37 kilometers above the ground.[1] The 8-second superbolide was widely recorded, as it fell in the late evening on the Mid-Autumn Festival, a fairly popular festival in China.[2]

Overview

Based on its incoming velocity (14.6 km/s) and energy, the original asteroid was likely between 2.2 and 3.6 meters across,[3] slightly smaller than the 2015 Thailand bolide, which fell about 2 years previously, several hundred miles to the south.

This is the largest recorded meteor to fall over China since the 2000 bolide, which radiated about 262 gigajoules of energy compared to the 2017 event's 192. While it was only the 5th most energetic impact event of 2017, it was the largest one to occur over land, and a populated area no less.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fireball and Bolide Reports (JPL)
  2. ↑ "Surprise Meteor Lights Up Harvest Moon Festival". National Geographic. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  3. ↑ "Asteroid Impact Crater Calculator - calculates the effects of the impact of an object hitting the earth". convertalot.com. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
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