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Author
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Topic: Meteorite falls in western Cuba, pieces found
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SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-01-2019 07:27 PM
   
A possible meteorite struck western Cuba on Friday (Feb. 1), according to the National Weather Service in Key West, Florida. National Weather Service Key West radar may have detected the meteor that affected western Cuba earlier today. At 121 p.m., a signature was detected near Viñales, Cuba, at a height of over 26,000 feet above ground level. Residents heard a "large explosion" Friday afternoon. There were no reports of any injuries, but from Patrick Oppmann, CNN International Correspondent and Havana Bureau Chief: Only in Cuba does an apparent meteorite crash and you happen to know the person whose house was hit.If anyone knows Viñales, Cuba the apparent meteorites fell in the area of the “mural de la prehistoria,” a huge rock painting of dinosaurs, who were themselves wiped out by meteors.  
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SkyMan1958
Member Posts: 867
From: CA.
Registered: Jan 2011
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posted 02-01-2019 10:37 PM
I'm intrigued by the red coloring along what appear to be rim or exposed areas of the meteorite in the second image. Just after a meteorite fall I would expect the exposed surface to have a black fusion crust, which does appear to cover most of the unbroken parts of the meteorite. If the meteorite had laid in the ground for any length of time I would have guessed some sort of fungal/bacterial growth to be causing the red coloration. Maybe the meteorite just hit something painted red and there is some sort of paint transference going on. |
Lunar rock nut
Member Posts: 911
From: Oklahoma city, Oklahoma U.S.A.
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 02-03-2019 12:33 PM
Looks like anorthosite to me. Very similar to the pictures of NWA 482. Possibly a nice piece of the moon. |
Dave_Johnson
Member Posts: 106
From:
Registered: Feb 2014
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posted 02-03-2019 08:43 PM
quote:
Originally posted by SkyMan1958:
I'm intrigued by the red coloring along what appear to be rim or exposed areas of the meteorite in the second image.
That is undoubtedly paint transfer from the meteorite striking an object on the ground. Note the pipe in the first picture that is painted a similar color, so while it may not have impacted that exact pipe, there may be other objects in the area with similar paint that were hit.Paint transfer has been seen on the crust of other "hammer" meteorites, such as paint transfer from the Peekskill automobile impact, and white street lane paint from the Park Forest meteorite impact. |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-06-2019 08:22 PM
Estimated impact energy was 1.4 kt. |
ejectr
Member Posts: 1751
From: Killingly, CT
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 02-07-2019 11:26 AM
That's only 1.6 mph (1.4 X 1.15). Why the explosive noise? |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-07-2019 11:43 AM
16.3 kilometers (10 miles) per second. |
ejectr
Member Posts: 1751
From: Killingly, CT
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 02-11-2019 05:18 PM
Thought kt stood for knots... |
SpaceAholic
Member Posts: 4437
From: Sierra Vista, Arizona
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-11-2019 06:37 PM
Kilotons |
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