Asteroid Impactor Reported over Indonesia
On October 8, 2009 about 03:00 Greenwich time, an atmospheric fireball blast was observed and recorded over an island region of Indonesia. The blast is thought to be due to the atmospheric entry of a small asteroid about 10 meters in diameter that, due to atmospheric pressure, detonated in the atmosphere with an energy of about 50 kilotons (the equivalent of 100,000 pounds of TNT explosives).
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Based on these initial reports, a detailed examination was made of all International Monitoring System (IMS) infrasound stations of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). From this initial examination, a total of 11 stations showed probable signals from a large explosion centered near 4.5S, 120E, with an origin time near 0300 UT on Oct 8, 2009, consistent with the media reports. This signal was notable for having been (a) detected at many IMS stations, including five at ranges over 10,000 km (and one at a nearly 18,000 km range) and (b) being confined to very low frequencies. Both of these observations suggest the explosion source was of very high total energy. All signal motions were between 0.27 – 0.32 km/s, consistent with stratospheric signal returns.
3 Responses to “October 8, 2009: 50 kiloton detonation”
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Can IMS tell the difference between a real atom bomb and an asteroid? What is the difference, in terms of sound?
The main difference that would be detectable would be the lack of a gamma-ray flash. Nuke detection satellites have been picking up these explosions for decades and the occasional big one causes the Pentagon to go nuts, but without radiation it’s clear within moments that it’s not a nuke.
As far as sound, I would imagine that an impactor exploding in the upper astmosphere would be a bit more rumbly and drawn-out than a nuke, which should be a pretty sharp BANG.
We got them before they got us. 🙂