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No seismic signatures of whatever caused the event in Managua are reported by the Nicaraguan Seismic Network; unclear if crater is actually associated with whatever made the blast.
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The '''Managua event''' is an unscientific claim of a [[meteorite fall]] on 7 September 2014 in [[Managua]], [[Nicaragua]].
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The '''Managua event''' is an unscientific claim of a [[meteorite fall]] on 7 September 2014 in [[Managua]], [[Nicaragua]]. The speculation was that a meteor had created a crater {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide and {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=on}} deep in the vicinity of [[Augusto C. Sandino International Airport]] (coordinates = {{Coord|12|08|29|N|086|10|05|W|type:airport}}) near a Nicaraguan Air Force base.<ref name="NPR-2140908">{{cite news |last=Neuman |first=Scott |title=Meteor Leaves 40-Foot Crater Near Managua's Airport |url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/09/08/346791538/meteor-leaves-40-foot-crater-near-managuas-airport |date=8 September 2014 |work=[[NPR]] |accessdate=8 September 2014 }}</ref><ref name="NYT-20140907">{{cite news |author=[[AP News]] |title=Small Meteorite Hits Managua |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/world/americas/small-meteorite-hits-managua.html |date=7 September 2014 |work=[[New York Times]] |accessdate=8 September 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Small meteorite strikes Nicaragua, government says|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/small-meteorite-strikes-nicaragua-government-says|accessdate=8 September 2014|agency=Associated Press|publisher=The Big Story|date=8 September 2014}}</ref> But an early news report made no claim of a meteor.<ref>[http://nicaraguadispatch.com/2014/09/mysterious-explosion-rocks-managua/ Mysterious explosion rocks Managua]</ref>

Witnesses in Managua reported hearing a blast and seeing a dust cloud that smelled like something had burned, on the night of 6 September. A crater {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide and {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=on}} deep was found in the vicinity of [[Augusto C. Sandino International Airport]] (coordinates = {{Coord|12|08|29|N|086|10|05|W|type:airport}}) near a Nicaraguan Air Force base. Initial reports claimed that that two [[seismic wave]]s were detected associated with the event<ref>http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/07/meteor-strikes-near-nicaraguas-capital-leaving-39-foot-crater/</ref>, but no such seismic signatures are reported on the Nicaraguan Seismic Network website<ref>http://www.ineter.gob.ni/#</ref>. It is unclear if the crater was indeed excavated by the blast.

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Although the earliest news reports made no claim of a meteor<ref>[http://nicaraguadispatch.com/2014/09/mysterious-explosion-rocks-managua/ Mysterious explosion rocks Managua]</ref>, many news sources reported speculations that a meteor had created the crater and the blast<ref name="NPR-2140908">{{cite news |last=Neuman |first=Scott |title=Meteor Leaves 40-Foot Crater Near Managua's Airport |url=http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/09/08/346791538/meteor-leaves-40-foot-crater-near-managuas-airport |date=8 September 2014 |work=[[NPR]] |accessdate=8 September 2014 }}</ref><ref name="NYT-20140907">{{cite news |author=[[AP News]] |title=Small Meteorite Hits Managua |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/08/world/americas/small-meteorite-hits-managua.html |date=7 September 2014 |work=[[New York Times]] |accessdate=8 September 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Small meteorite strikes Nicaragua, government says|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/small-meteorite-strikes-nicaragua-government-says|accessdate=8 September 2014|agency=Associated Press|publisher=The Big Story|date=8 September 2014}}</ref>. Many of the speculations proposed an association between the Managua event and the close Earth flyby of the asteroid [[2014 RC]], which happened late on 7 September.<ref name=8SepBBC>{{cite news|title=Nasa: Asteroid 2014 RC flies past Earth|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29098632|accessdate=8 September 2014|agency=BBC|date=8 September 2014}}</ref>. Such an association is not possible: 2014 RC was about {{convert|40,000|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Earth at its closest approach, over [[New Zealand]], nothing on the same trajectory could have entered the Earth's atmosphere over Nicaragua;<ref>http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news184.html</ref><ref name="universetoday.com">http://www.universetoday.com/114397/the-nicaragua-crater-the-result-of-a-meteorite-impact-or-not/</ref> and the crater in Managua was reported 13 hours prior to 2014 RC's closest approach.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=747872625273784</ref>

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No eyewitnesses, ground-based cameras, or satellite operators reported seeing the meteor ([[bolide]]), and no meteorites have been recovered. To create a crater of that size by meteorite impact would have required a bolide brighter than the [[Full Moon]].<ref>[http://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2014/09/08/did-a-meteorite-cause-a-crater-in-nicaragua/ Did a Meteorite Cause a Crater in Nicaragua?]</ref> This indicates that the crater was not produced by a meteorite fall at all.<ref>http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news185.html</ref><ref>http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140908-managua-meteor-nasa-science/</ref>

Other potential explanations for the crater's formation include ground slumping, a [[sinkhole]], excavation, or a ground-based explosive [[detonation]] - either that which caused the blast reported on the night of 6 September or one that occurred before that time.<ref name="universetoday.com"/>.


The Managua event was ''not'' related to the close Earth flyby of the asteroid [[2014 RC]], which happened later that day.<ref name=8SepBBC>{{cite news|title=Nasa: Asteroid 2014 RC flies past Earth|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29098632|accessdate=8 September 2014|agency=BBC|date=8 September 2014}}</ref> 2014 RC was about {{convert|40,000|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Earth at its closest approach, over [[New Zealand]], nothing on the same trajectory could have entered the Earth's atmosphere over Nicaragua;<ref>http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news184.html</ref><ref name="universetoday.com">http://www.universetoday.com/114397/the-nicaragua-crater-the-result-of-a-meteorite-impact-or-not/</ref> and the crater in Managua was reported 13 hours prior to 2014 RC's closest approach.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=747872625273784</ref>


⚫
No eyewitnesses, ground-based cameras, or satellite operators reported seeing the meteor ([[bolide]]), and no meteorites have been recovered. To create a crater of that size would require a bolide brighter than the [[Full Moon]].<ref>[http://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2014/09/08/did-a-meteorite-cause-a-crater-in-nicaragua/ Did a Meteorite Cause a Crater in Nicaragua?]</ref> This suggests the crater was not produced by a meteorite fall at all.<ref>http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news185.html</ref><ref>http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140908-managua-meteor-nasa-science/</ref> Other explanations include ground slumping, a [[sinkhole]], excavation, or a ground-based explosive [[detonation]].<ref name="universetoday.com"/> It is unknown if the soil has been tested for explosive residue. What is known is that two [[seismic wave]]s were detected, people heard a blast, and people saw a dust cloud that smelled like something had burned.<ref>http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/07/meteor-strikes-near-nicaraguas-capital-leaving-39-foot-crater/</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 22:12, 11 September 2014

The Managua event is an unscientific claim of a meteorite fall on 7 September 2014 in Managua, Nicaragua.

Witnesses in Managua reported hearing a blast and seeing a dust cloud that smelled like something had burned, on the night of 6 September. A crater 12 m (39 ft) wide and 5 m (16 ft) deep was found in the vicinity of Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (coordinates = 12°08′29″N 086°10′05″W / 12.14139°N 86.16806°W / 12.14139; -86.16806) near a Nicaraguan Air Force base. Initial reports claimed that that two seismic waves were detected associated with the event[1], but no such seismic signatures are reported on the Nicaraguan Seismic Network website[2]. It is unclear if the crater was indeed excavated by the blast.

Although the earliest news reports made no claim of a meteor[3], many news sources reported speculations that a meteor had created the crater and the blast[4][5][6]. Many of the speculations proposed an association between the Managua event and the close Earth flyby of the asteroid 2014 RC, which happened late on 7 September.[7]. Such an association is not possible: 2014 RC was about 40,000 km (25,000 mi) from Earth at its closest approach, over New Zealand, nothing on the same trajectory could have entered the Earth's atmosphere over Nicaragua;[8][9] and the crater in Managua was reported 13 hours prior to 2014 RC's closest approach.[10]

No eyewitnesses, ground-based cameras, or satellite operators reported seeing the meteor (bolide), and no meteorites have been recovered. To create a crater of that size by meteorite impact would have required a bolide brighter than the Full Moon.[11] This indicates that the crater was not produced by a meteorite fall at all.[12][13]

Other potential explanations for the crater's formation include ground slumping, a sinkhole, excavation, or a ground-based explosive detonation - either that which caused the blast reported on the night of 6 September or one that occurred before that time.[9].


References

  1. ^ http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/07/meteor-strikes-near-nicaraguas-capital-leaving-39-foot-crater/
  2. ^ http://www.ineter.gob.ni/#
  3. ^ Mysterious explosion rocks Managua
  4. ^ Neuman, Scott (8 September 2014). "Meteor Leaves 40-Foot Crater Near Managua's Airport". NPR. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  5. ^ AP News (7 September 2014). "Small Meteorite Hits Managua". New York Times. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Small meteorite strikes Nicaragua, government says". The Big Story. Associated Press. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Nasa: Asteroid 2014 RC flies past Earth". BBC. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  8. ^ http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news184.html
  9. ^ a b http://www.universetoday.com/114397/the-nicaragua-crater-the-result-of-a-meteorite-impact-or-not/
  10. ^ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=747872625273784
  11. ^ Did a Meteorite Cause a Crater in Nicaragua?
  12. ^ http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news185.html
  13. ^ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140908-managua-meteor-nasa-science/
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