Estimated path and altitude of the meteor in red, with the possible location for the METEOSAT IR fireball (bolide) as orange crosshairs and the infrasound detection of the explosion in green.
Discovery
Discovered by
Catalina Sky Survey
Discovery date
October 6, 2008, 06:39 UTC
Designations
MPC designation
2008 TC3
Minor planet category
NEO
Apollo
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch October 7, 2008 (JD 2454746.5)
Uncertainty parameter 4
Observation arc
1 day (575 observations)
Aphelion
1.71644 AU (256.776 Gm)
Perihelion
0.899957 AU (134.6317 Gm)
Semi-major axis
1.308201 AU (195.7041 Gm)
Eccentricity
0.312065
Orbital period (sidereal)
1.50 yr (546.53 d)
Mean anomaly
330.7541°
Mean motion
0.6587071°/day
Inclination
2.54220°
Longitude of ascending node
194.101138°
Time of perihelion
2008-Nov-20
Argument of perihelion
234.44897°
Jupiter MOID
3.57975 AU (535.523 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions
4.1 meters
Mass
80 tonnes (80,000 kg)
Mean density
~1.5 g/cm3
Synodic rotation period
0.0269409 h (1.61645 min)[1]
Geometric albedo
0.1±0.03
Spectral type
F/M
Absolute magnitude (H)
30.4[1]
2008 TC3 (Catalina Sky Survey temporary designation 8TA9D69) was an 80-tonne (80-long-ton; 90-short-ton), 4.1-meter (13 ft) diameter asteroid[2] that entered Earth's atmosphere on October 7, 2008.[3] It exploded at an estimated 37 kilometers (23 mi) above the Nubian Desert in Sudan. Some 600 meteorites, weighing a total of 10.5 kilograms (23.1 lb), were recovered; many of these belonged to a rare type known as ureilites, which contain, among other minerals, nanodiamonds.[2][4][5]
It was the first time that an asteroid impact had been predicted before its entry into the atmosphere as a meteor.[6]
^ ab
Jenniskens, P.; et al. (2009). "The impact and recovery of asteroid 2008 TC3". Nature. 458 (7237): 485–488. Bibcode:2009Natur.458..485J. doi:10.1038/nature07920. PMID 19325630. S2CID 7976525.
^
Plait, P. (October 6, 2008). "Incoming!!!". Bad Astronomy. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
^
Chang, K. (March 25, 2009). "Recovered Pieces of Asteroid Hold Clues to Early History". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2009.
^Borenstein, S. (March 26, 2009). "Astronomers catch a shooting star for 1st time". ABC news. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
^
Roylance, F. (October 7, 2008). "Predicted meteor may have been sighted". Maryland Weather. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
2008TC3 (Catalina Sky Survey temporary designation 8TA9D69) was an 80-tonne (80-long-ton; 90-short-ton), 4.1-meter (13 ft) diameter asteroid that entered...
TC3 may refer to: Tc3 transposon, a transposon in Caenorhabditis elegans 2008TC3, a meteoroid that entered Earth's atmosphere on October 7, 2008 Tha...
approaches to Earth in 2008. 2008 was the first year that an asteroid was successfully detected before it impacted earth (2008TC3 was the first successfully...
In 2008, Jenniskens, together with Muawia Shaddad, led a team from the University of Khartoum in Sudan that recovered fragments of asteroid 2008TC3 in...
only appears rarely in some oases in the desert. On 7 October 2008 the meteoroid 2008TC3 exploded above the Nubian Desert. The sky became so bright, people...
town in which it landed (Goalpara, Assam India). On 7 October 2008, tiny asteroid 2008TC3 entered Earth's atmosphere and exploded an estimated 37 kilometres...
noxious gases shortly after the impact. On 7 October 2008, an approximately 4 m asteroid labeled 2008TC3 was tracked for 20 hours as it approached Earth and...
A noted 4-metre (13 ft) asteroid, 2008TC3, was observed in space on a collision course with Earth on 6 October 2008 and entered Earth's atmosphere the...
by the target date of 2008 and also produced the first ever successful prediction of an asteroid impact (the 4-meter 2008TC3 was detected 19 hours before...
(2001–2010) The first spectrum of an asteroid which subsequently hit Earth, 2008TC3 (2009) The first spectrum of Hanny's Voorwerp (2009) The discovery that...
original on October 9, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008. Chesley, S.; Chodas, P.; Yeomans, D. (November 4, 2008). "Asteroid 2008TC3 Strikes Earth: Predictions...
their Earth-MOID calculated before Earth impact were the small asteroids 2008TC3 and 2014 AA. 2014 AA is listed with a MOID of 0.00000045 AU (67 km; 42 mi)...
Chesley (2008). "Astrometric masses of 21 asteroids, and an integrated asteroid ephemeris". Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy. 100 (2008). Springer...
2008 – Asteroid 2008TC3 impacts the Earth over Sudan, the first time an asteroid impact is detected prior to its entry into Earth's atmosphere. 2008...
S2CID 67851874. Jenniskens, P.; et al. (2009). "The impact and recovery of asteroid 2008TC3". Nature. 458 (7237): 485–488. Bibcode:2009Natur.458..485J. doi:10.1038/nature07920...
estimated to be 3-meters in diameter which would make an impact comparable to 2008TC3. It has a very short observation arc of 0.4 days and was first imaged on...
2013. On October 6, 2008, while observing with the CSS 1.5 meter (60") telescope at Mount Lemmon Observatory, he discovered 2008TC3. Approximately 20 hours...
1'5.89"N latitude and 26° 5'15.69"E longitude. Gebel Kamil (Meteorite) 2008TC3 Folco, Luigi; Di Martino, Mario; El Barkooky, Ahmed; D'Orazio, Massimo;...
four-meter-diameter asteroid, called 2008TC3, was initially sighted by the automated Catalina Sky Survey telescope, on October 6, 2008. Computations correctly predicted...
as (2003) UB313. Eris was named after the IAU General Assembly in 2006. 2008TC3 becomes the first Earth-impacting meteoroid spotted and tracked prior to...
(November 22, 2008). "Hunt on for space rock". The Vancouver Sun. The Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-24...
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