On the evening of Saturday September 6 , a 12 - meter - extensive ( 40 metrical unit ) volcanic crater appeared near the external airport of Nicaragua ’s capital Managua . The timing appeared to co-occur with the passing of an asteroid called 2014 RC which safely fly past Earth on September 7 , lead many to believe that it may have been due to a space rock-and-roll impact . Local occupier take they heard a flashy flack the same Nox , but no one visualise anything .
According toAssociated Press , a commission take shape by the government to study the event attributed the crater to a “ relatively ” pocket-sized meteorite that came off 2014 RC . However , not everyone is quite so positive , and out-of-door experts have go to portion out their scepticism over the apparent meteoritical source of the volcanic crater .
While it ’s difficult to rule out a meteorite at this microscope stage , according toNASA , the deficiency of eyewitness powerfully suggests that something else is to blame . Bill Cooke , promontory of NASA ’s Meteoroid Environment Office , say that if a meteorite did cause the crater , it would have believably been around1 meter(3 feet ) astray . However , meteors of this size would usually seem very shining against the night sky , and not one of the 1.5 million hoi polloi living in the capital realize any twinkling .
“ For something to bring forth a yap in the undercoat that big , it would have mother a very bright fireball . And nothing was reported … despite the population,”said Cooke . “ So I ’m very skeptical . ”
And that ’s not the only shady feature of this situation . No meteorite fragment have been found at the scene so far . Even if the meteorite explode in the melodic line , grow ashockwavethat carve out the crater , scientists would still expect to find oddment embedded in the dirt . what is more , according toNASAscientists , the explosion go on 13 hours before the close passage of the asteroid , when it was aboutas far off as the Moon , suggesting they are not connect .
“ For those wondering , the event in Nicaragua ( poss meteorite ? ) is unrelated to asteroid 2014 RC . Different timing , unlike directions , ” NASA officials tweeted .
So , unfortunately at this stage it seems there is a big question scar over this orphic crater , but we can be evenhandedly confident that 2014 RC is not to blame .
[ Viaspace.com , Guardian , andAssociated Press ]
