Recent news
Seismic detection of superbolide explosion in the atmosphere
- Institute of Astrophysics Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan
On July 23, 2008 at 14:45 UT, many eyewitnesses observed in the sky of
Tajikistan a rear phenomenon, a bright bolide and its dust train, colored
by the beams of the setting sun. Flash brightness from the explosion had
the magnitude of -20.7. According to the pictures from the superbolide
dust train at the explosion height, trail drift velocity in the atmosphere
was obtained; it was 17.6 m/s in the southern direction. On the basis of
geographical coordinates of flash projection on the Earth surface,
obtained by an optical system of NASA satellite, the superbolide explosion
height was determined, it was about 35 km. At Gissar analogous
seismo-station and at 4 digital seismo-stations of the Geophysical Service
of Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan Republic, located at the distances
from 45 to 210 km from the event epicenter, a seismic signal with the
magnitude of about 2.5, generated by a superbolide explosion in the
atmosphere, was registered. Superbolide explosions in the atmosphere with
the energies exceeding 0.03 kiloton of trinitrotoluol equivalent have
already been registered at current digital station. The distances, when
such registration is possible, is of several thousand of kilometers, as it
was shown by the event on February 15, 2013, associated with the great
Ural meteorite. Stations of Tajikistan seismic network received the signal
with the magnitude of more than 3 from the explosion in the atmosphere of
the Ural meteorite 12 minutes after it.