Apparent Meteorite Hits Managua, Nicaragua, Leaving Crater But No Injuries

A wire report from AFP says that an explosion heard in Managua last night, and a 40-foot crater evident today, are evidence that the city was the impact site for a small meteorite that struck Saturday night. The photos are not very exciting at a glance, which is a good thing, considering that a dirt crater and no injuries is probably the best outcome if a meteorite strikes the city where you live. From the article: The meteorite appeared to have hurtled into a wooded area near the airport around midnight Saturday, its thunderous impact felt across the capital. The hit was so large that it registered on the instruments Strauss’ organization uses to size up earthquakes. “You can see two waves: first, a small seismic wave when the meteorite hit Earth, and then another stronger one, which is the impact of the sound,” he said. Government officials and experts visited the impact site on Sunday. One of them, William Martínez, said it was not yet clear if the meteorite burned up completely or if it had been blasted into the soil. “You can see mirror-like spots on the sides of the crater from where the meteorite power-scraped the walls,” Martínez said. (The same news, in slightly shorter form, from the AP.)

Comments

Re:Hope they're keeping people away

[Anonymous Coward]

You're quite the expert, aren't you?

Good thing it didn't hit US.

[JWSmythe]

It's a good thing it didn't hit the US. If I've learned nothing else from Hollywood, I've learned this... If any object strikes another object moving faster than about 20 feet per second, there will be a huge explosion.

Except for the very very rare incidents which are strictly for comedic value.

Re:Good thing it didn't hit US.

[Anonymous Coward]

"War against meteorites"

Re:Meteoroid, Meteor, Meteorite

[I'm New Around Here]

Until they reinstate Pluto as our ninth planet, I'm going to call all those things meteorites. Just to stick it to da man.