Meteorite in Latvia. Edited - it's a hoax.

[vattas]

Possible meteorite strike in Latvia. Here are best stories in English that I could find:
from mcall.com
from Baltic News Service

Crater size estimates vary wildly

Here's also story in Latvian (unfortunately I do not understand it), but with some good daylight photos of the crater:
Latvian meteorite story

There's also Youtube video just after the impact:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5C-Lh3UfQ8[/youtube]

I wonder what's with all the fire in the crater?

 

[centsworth_II]

Re: Meteorite in Latvia

Latvian Experts Say Meteorite Crater Was Hoax

 

[vattas]

Re: Meteorite in Latvia

Latvian Experts Say Meteorite Crater Was Hoax

Unfortunately it looks like it was publicity stunt by local mobile operator.
I swear I will never use this company as my mobile operator or for roaming access... And these geologists that analyzed "crater" should charge 10x for their wasted time.

Sorry for worthless waste of forum space. I feel ashamed for my neighbors (I live in another Baltic country - Lithuania).

 

[MeteorWayne]

Yes, meteorites don't start fires, unless maybe a few hundred kg one ruptured a gas line

 

[robnissen]

Yes, meteorites don't start fires, unless maybe a few hundred kg one ruptured a gas line

Hi MeteorWayne,

Just wondering, could a meteorite be hot enough to start a fire if it landed in dry kindling?

 

[MeteorWayne]

Not really. 99.999% of all meteorites have lost all their cosmic velocity and are falling straight down under the influence purely of gravity. They are quite cold, as they exist in space at the ambient temperature (it's chilly out there) except for warming by the sun on the surface. During the pass through the atmosphere, anything hot enough to melt (which could start a fire) is swept away by the atmosphere it's running into, so the remaining meteorite is as cold as space.

The only exception would be objects such as the one in Peru a few years ago (though I have yet to see a peer reviewed report on the details) where it actually allegedly moving at several thousand mph, they surely would attract the attention of everyone (not just one news crew) in the vicinity as there would be a huge sonic boom, and a visible impact. Those are a thousandth of a percent of meteorites, if it is verified. Even the other two large events before that (Tunguska in 1908, and one in south america in the 40's IIRC) had no objects hit the ground, though Tunguska did start fires...not from the impact, but from the thermal fireball created in the atmosphere. For that event, there is no confimed impact crater that would be on fire. Not that you would have wanted to be standing underneath... Well except for meteor geeks like me