Apollo Asteroid Explodes Over African Sky

Yesterday, the newly discovered Apollo Asteroid exploded over Sudan with the energy of about 1.1-2.1 kilotons of TNT. Earth bound space objects often explode, due to the pressure of slamming into the atmosphere.

Because the burst occurred over such a remote location no photographs were taken ( an obvious artist rendering can be seen to the left).

Apollo was about the size of a kitchen table, huge by asteroid standards. According to scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena CA, similar sized asteroids hit the Earth every few months- but this is the first time a collision was predicted.

Any triumph here belongs to Spaceguard, a tracking system capable of identifying near-Earth objects.

You may also read these articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *