We Only Spotted This Asteroid Hours Before It Fell to Earth. Here's Why That's Good

https://www.sciencealert.com ^ | March 15, 2022 | MICHELLE STARR

[Erik Latranyi]

Asteroid - rock in space
Meteoroid - rock in atmosphere
Meteorite - rock on ground

[fwdude]

I believe a meteoroid is a rock that has not yet entered our atmosphere. That would be a meteor.

Again, the distinction is not made with asteroids.

[Erik Latranyi]

Correct

[cuban leaf]

I’ve been on forums where I respond to someone, and then see a post that I immediately want to send a short quip to, and I get a “must wait 10 seconds to post again”. If I immediately try to post again, it will say, “must wait 8 seconds...” Etc.

[SauronOfMordor]

If it’s rock going 11 miles/sec, the atmosphere is going to cause it to break up at high altitude.

A solid iron meteor might stay together long enough to reach the ground.

[Flavious_Maximus]

An asteroid smashing into San Francisco?

Missed it by this much, darn!

[Red Badger]

God always gives a warning shot................

[BradyLS]

Meteoroids are one meter or less in diameter. Asteroids are larger. A meteoroid becomes a meteorite when it impacts the earth.

...so Wikipedia tells me.

[minnesota_bound]

What’s the difference between a meteoroid and an asteroid?
A big meteoroid destroys dinosaurs.
asteroid just flies by earth.

[Delta 21]

[oldtech]

If my calculations are correct, that thing was moving about 40,000 mph.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Red Badger.

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[SunkenCiv]

Atmospheric density drops off markedly with altitude, so its pretty tenuous for most of the trip, and at 11 mi/sec will meet up with, and make the entire journey through most of the atmospheric mass in the final one second.

The Earth's surface (and us) receive more protection from the random nature of all the millions of orbits (in three dimensions) and distances involved. Despite that, the Earth is and has been continually bombarded by mostly-water solar system debris for billions of years.

Composition is important, but so is mass. A carbonaceous chondrite that starts out about the size of a car will probably litter its way through the atmosphere, but there's a decent chance a piece the size of some kind of sports ball will reach the ground. Metallic chunks are less likely to break up on the way in.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks IYAS9YAS, Erik Latranyi, and BradyLS.

[Monkey Face]

Folks in Newfoundland took time-lapse photos of it’s passing and what it looked like on the streets. No one caught the actual asteroid, though. Pity. I’m sure it was spectacular.

[Red Badger]

Seems plausible...................