The fact that there was a single explosion suggests that this asteroid had an unusual structure that could be more dangerous in the ground.
February 13, 2023, the small asteroid 2023 cx1 He entered the earth’s atmosphere and was spotted by the heavens of Normandy. And brought memories: a bright fireball and several meteorites. A memorable explosion.
Only an investigation team realized that the episode was bizarre: usually, most asteroids fragmented Upon entering the earthly atmosphere, but the 2023 CX1 seems to have survived.
Only an asteroid had been observed to explode this way before: the meteorabout Slovenia in 2020, which lost about 80% of its mass in a single explosion.
In 2023, this asteroid remained almost completely intact until reaching an altitude of 28 kilometers, where it exploded in a single catastrophic event with a power of about 0.029 Quilotise – the equivalent of 29 tons of TNT – and lost about 98% of its mass of 650 pounds in fractions of second.
“This type of fragmentation is dangerous“, Says researcher Auriane Egal.“ If we have a larger asteroid, its effects will be amplified. Perhaps it is necessary to evacuate a larger area near the expected impact site. ”
O, published in Nature This Wednesday suggests that if a larger asteroid exploded in the same way, could cause more damage than one who gradually disintegrated in the atmosphere.
“We found multiple shock veins in the meteorite that witness numerous impacts,” explains the scientist. “Perhaps this network of fractures has glued to the rock, which is why it has resisted better than other typical meteorites.”
