2009 Sulawesi superbolide

Watampone is located in Sulawesi
Watampone
Watampone
2009 Sulawesi superbolide

The 2009 Sulawesi superbolide was an atmospheric fireball blast over Indonesia on October 8, 2009, at approximately 03:00 UTC (11:00 local time), near the coastal city of Watampone in South Sulawesi, island of Sulawesi. The meteoritic impactor broke up at an estimated height of 15–20 km. The impact energy of the bolide was estimated in the 10 to 50 kiloton TNT equivalent range, with the higher end of this range being more likely. The likely size of the impactor was 5–10 m diameter.[1][2][3][4]

Comparison of approximate sizes of notable impactors with the Hoba meteorite, a Boeing 747 and a New Routemaster bus

References

  1. ^ "Asteroid Impactor Reported over Indonesia". NASA. 23 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-11-02.
  2. ^ "Asteroid explosion over Indonesia raises fears about Earth's defences". The Telegraph. 27 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-10-29.
  3. ^ "Asteroid explosion was a whopper for Earth". NBC News. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-08-25.
  4. ^ "Huge Explosion Was Biggest Space Rock to Strike Earth Since 1994". Space.com. 29 October 2009. Archived from the original on 2011-01-30.