Asteroid Sizes

[Dig Gil]

I'm collecting some informations for my latest AddOn. I wanted to know what is the smallest possible asteroid capable of becoming a meteorite. That means how small can an asteroid be before fully disintegrate in the atmosphere without hitting the ground.

 

[MAraujo]

It all depends on the speed and angle of entry, as well as the composition of the impactor.

 

[Dig Gil]

I know, but I don't need accurate values, just an average, for Earth of course.
For those who prefer the maths and accuracy for the tables and averages of observation let's consider a entry angle (relatively to Earth's Horizon) of 85 degrees and a silicon asteroid.

 

[Nerull]

I know, but I don't need accurate values, just an average, for Earth of course.
For those who prefer the maths and accuracy for the tables and averages of observation let's consider a entry angle (relatively to Earth's Horizon) of 85 degrees and a silicon asteroid.

Anywhere from a few cm to several meters. (More if you include mid-air detonations as 'never hitting the ground'). The variables are too important to just give a size.

 

[Piper]

What type of addon are you trying to make?

 

[ex-orbinaut]

Maybe a bit off topic, but I was reading last night in a book that irons type meteors of more than 1 gram (yes, one???) mass have a good probability of surviving the atmosphere reentry and touching ground?

This does not sound quite right. That is a tiny, tiny pebble, isn't it?

 

[ex-orbinaut]

Maybe a bit off topic, but I was reading last night in a book that irons type meteors of more than 1 gram (yes, one???) mass have a good probability of surviving the atmosphere reentry and touching ground?

This does not sound quite right. That is a tiny, tiny pebble, isn't it?

Suprised no one got me with that reentry error! The meteors never left from Earth for them to do a reentry!!

The book BTW is The Rough Guide to the Universe, by John Scalzi. And it definately says 1 gram. Would that be an answer to the question about the smallest meteor?

A related question. How about a comet that generates a coma and tail as it gets near the Sun, in Orbiter? I think it might be possible to do, using an exhaust texture and some nifty coding with the angle of the exhaust relative to the GetBody. Has anyone done this yet?

 

[Dig Gil]

What type of addon are you trying to make?

An asteroid dragger (or Tug) go to DigTech's blog to know more about it.

Thanks Keith, but actually one gram seems too small, I would put my doubts on a book called "Rough Guide"...:j/k:
About your error: that's why I didn't wrote that way on the beginning of the thread .

That AddOn is supposed to (if in real life) carry an asteroid from some Belt and release it over a city in planets like Earth. To destroy the city the asteroid should have a certain size what would require the spacecraft to have so too. In my opinion the size required would be at least 5 times the smallest asteroid capable of penetrating the atmosphere (for a city a chunk larger than my town).
I made the question (for the start of the thread) the way is done because one of the scopes of the backstory of the spacecraft is about cost efficiency: smaller equals less resources that equals cheaper.

 

[Hielor]

An asteroid dragger (or Tug) go to DigTech's blog to know more about it.

Thanks Keith, but actually one gram seems too small, I would put my doubts on a book called "Rough Guide"...:j/k:
About your error: that's why I didn't wrote that way on the beginning of the thread .

That AddOn is supposed to (if in real life) carry an asteroid from some Belt and release it over a city in planets like Earth. To destroy the city the asteroid should have a certain size what would require the spacecraft to have so too. In my opinion the size required would be at least 5 times the smallest asteroid capable of penetrating the atmosphere (for a city a chunk larger than my town).
I made the question (for the start of the thread) the way is done because one of the scopes of the backstory of the spacecraft is about cost efficiency: smaller equals less resources that equals cheaper.

If you're concerned about "cost efficiency" you won't be dragging an asteroid halfway across the solar system in order to destroy a city. There are much more efficient ways of destroying a city which don't involve any more technology than what is currently available.

 

[Dig Gil]

That's only one possible purpose (go the blog). Then it's just another creative idea (which is not mine, actually, but whatever).

 

[RisingFury]

An asteroid dragger (or Tug) go to DigTech's blog to know more about it.

Thanks Keith, but actually one gram seems too small, I would put my doubts on a book called "Rough Guide"...:j/k:
About your error: that's why I didn't wrote that way on the beginning of the thread .

That AddOn is supposed to (if in real life) carry an asteroid from some Belt and release it over a city in planets like Earth. To destroy the city the asteroid should have a certain size what would require the spacecraft to have so too. In my opinion the size required would be at least 5 times the smallest asteroid capable of penetrating the atmosphere (for a city a chunk larger than my town).
I made the question (for the start of the thread) the way is done because one of the scopes of the backstory of the spacecraft is about cost efficiency: smaller equals less resources that equals cheaper.

1g seems about right. Keep in mind, the meteors you see in the night sky are about as big as a grain of sand.

The meteor that came down in Canada recently was smaller then a fist. 5 times bigger then a fist won't really destroy a town, will it?

 

[Nerull]

The asteroid seize needed to 'destory a town' is much, much larger than 5 times the size of an asteroid that can survive entry.

---------- Post added at 04:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:47 AM ----------

The little spec is what the ANSMET "Antarctic Search for Meteors" consider a typical find. That's your average meteor size.

 

[Quick_Nick]

This must be about the size of five fists.

---------- Post added at 03:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:03 AM ----------

Very detailed, very cool: http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/

 

[Sky Captain]

Something like this should be required to blow up a small town.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaali_crater

 

[Hielor]

Another thing to consider about the ineffectiveness of this method is that it would be quite easy to notice "Hey, there's an asteroid being moved toward us!" and act accordingly, perhaps by deploying antimatter missiles to defend from the meteor.

 

[Dig Gil]

Let's keep it a mining device...

Thanks, at last a line for research.

Now I just need to ensure that you are talking of size before being a meteor.

 

[ex-orbinaut]

An asteroid dragger (or Tug) go to DigTech's blog to know more about it.

Thanks Keith, but actually one gram seems too small, I would put my doubts on a book called "Rough Guide"...:j/k:

You know, I was thinking the same thing about the book, which is why I had my doubts. There are a few other inconsistencies in the book (such as referring to pressure in "cubic" units, at one stage!!).

Nonetheless....

1g seems about right. Keep in mind, the meteors you see in the night sky are about as big as a grain of sand...

Fantastic, really.

Anyway, good luck and fun with the add on!