Earth-grazing meteoroid of 13 October 1990

Earth-grazing meteoroid of 13 October 1990

EN131090 entered the Earth’s atmosphere above Czechoslovakia and Poland and, after a few seconds, returned to space. The encounter with Earth significantly changed its orbit and, to a smaller extent, some of its physical properties. Most data about the encounter were acquired using photographic observations by cameras of the European Fireball Network.

About Earth-grazing meteoroid of 13 October 1990 in brief

Summary Earth-grazing meteoroid of 13 October 1990On 13 October 1990, EN131090 entered the Earth’s atmosphere above Czechoslovakia and Poland and, after a few seconds, returned to space. The encounter with Earth significantly changed its orbit and, to a smaller extent, some of its physical properties. Most data about the encounter were acquired using photographic observations by cameras of the European Fireball Network. It was the first event of this type recorded by cameras from two distant locations, which enabled the calculation of the meteoroid’s orbital characteristics by geometrical methods. The fireball subsequently dimmed with an apparent magnitude of −5 when it was last seen by the cameras and a final value of +0.6 at a height of 257 km at a distance of 257km. The meteoroid was estimated to have had a mass of 44 kg and a speed of 41. 74 km per second, which did not change measurably during the time it was observed.

It is the second meteoroid to be recorded using scientific astronomical instruments and the first recorded from two far-away locations. The event started at 03: 27: 16±3 UT and the observed bright meteor moved from south to north. It left a track that was visible for 10 seconds. It would probably still have been visible until it reached a height. of 110 km above the southern Baltic Sea. The Meteoroid’s absolute magnitude was approximately −6 and did not vary significantly during the few seconds of observation. The change in the object’s velocity vector due to Earth’s gravity during the hours it was in the earth’s vicinity was on the order of kilometres per second. The software computation started and the fireball’s apparent magnitude at the ground was calculated.