2008 TC3

2008 TC3
Estimated path and altitude of the meteor in red, with the possible location for the METEOSAT IR fireball (bolide) as orange crosshairs and the infrasound detection of the explosion in green.
Discovery
Discovered byCatalina Sky Survey
Discovery dateOctober 6, 2008, 06:39 UTC
Designations
2008 TC3
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch October 7, 2008 (JD 2454746.5)
Uncertainty parameter 4
Observation arc1 day (575 observations)
Aphelion1.71644 AU (256.776 Gm)
Perihelion0.899957 AU (134.6317 Gm)
1.308201 AU (195.7041 Gm)
Eccentricity0.312065
1.50 yr (546.53 d)
330.7541°
0.6587071°/day
Inclination2.54220°
194.101138°
2008-Nov-20
234.44897°
Jupiter MOID3.57975 AU (535.523 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions4.1 meters
Mass80 tonnes (80,000 kg)
Mean density
~1.5 g/cm3
0.0269409 h (1.61645 min)[1]
0.1±0.03
F/M
30.4[1]

2008 TC3 (Catalina Sky Survey temporary designation 8TA9D69) was an 80-tonne (80-long-ton; 90-short-ton), 4.1-meter (13 ft) diameter asteroid[2] that entered Earth's atmosphere on October 7, 2008.[3] It exploded at an estimated 37 kilometers (23 mi) above the Nubian Desert in Sudan. Some 600 meteorites, weighing a total of 10.5 kilograms (23.1 lb), were recovered; many of these belonged to a rare type known as ureilites, which contain, among other minerals, nanodiamonds.[2][4][5]

It was the first time that an asteroid impact had been predicted before its entry into the atmosphere as a meteor.[6]

  1. ^ a b c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2008 TC3)" (last observation: October 7, 2008; arc: 1 day). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Jenniskens, P.; et al. (2009). "The impact and recovery of asteroid 2008 TC3". Nature. 458 (7237): 485–488. Bibcode:2009Natur.458..485J. doi:10.1038/nature07920. PMID 19325630. S2CID 7976525.
  3. ^ Plait, P. (October 6, 2008). "Incoming!!!". Bad Astronomy. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
  4. ^ Chang, K. (March 25, 2009). "Recovered Pieces of Asteroid Hold Clues to Early History". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2009.
  5. ^ Borenstein, S. (March 26, 2009). "Astronomers catch a shooting star for 1st time". ABC news. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  6. ^ Roylance, F. (October 7, 2008). "Predicted meteor may have been sighted". Maryland Weather. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.