Assumed Asteroid Remnant Leaves Crater in Nicaragua
A small rock from a passing asteroid left a crater in Nicaragua
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A meteorite crashed into Nicaragua yesterday leaving a hole 39 feet across and 16 feet deep in an area near the airport of the capital, Managua.
The meteorite is believed to have originated from the passing asteroid 2014 RC which was passing by the earth at around that time. From the BBC:
Nicaraguan volcanologist Humberto Garcia said: "It could have come off that asteroid because it is normal for that to occur. We have to study it more because it could be ice or rock."
In a previous statement, NASA said that the closest 2014 RC would get to the earth would be about 25,000 miles or 1/10 the distance between the center of the earth and the moon. 2014 RC is about 60 feet wide and was discovered only about a week ago, on August 31.
Though the Nicaraguan government has attributed the origins of the Managua meteorite to the asteroid,a as Al-Jazeera and the AP point out, “It was not immediately clear whether the meteorite that struck Nicaragua had any connection to 2014 RC.” More tests on the site will have to be done to attempt to determine the exact origin of the meteorite.
After buzzing over New Zealand the asteroid continued on its way. It is expected to stop by again, but there are no indications that it will pose any sort of threat to Earth.