Meteor strikes, punches hole 2 meters deep – China
Image credit: Comet 96P/Machholz from HI-2 camera of STEREO-A spacecraft. April 7, 2007
A meteor has reportedly crashed at a dump site in a village of northwest China around 02:00 local time on Thursday, August 1, 2013. Meteorite impact left a 3 meter wide and 2 meter deep crater.
Authorities reported no casualties. Search for meteorite fragments is ongoing.
Though it is unclear what the source is, currently, Earth is showered by annual Delta Aquariids which peak around July 29 – 30. The parent body of the Delta Aquariids is not known with certainty but, lately, Comet 96P Machholz is the most likely candidate. 96P/Machholz has an estimated radius of around 3.2km.
© Weibo
This photo taken on August 1, 2013, shows the dump site which was hit by a meteorite in a village of Akto County of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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