Meteors Explode from the Inside When They Reach the Atmosphere

Earth is no stranger to meteors. In fact, meteor showers are a regular occurrence, where small objects (meteoroids) enter the Earth’s atmosphere and radiate in the night sky. Since most of these objects are smaller than a grain of sand, they never reach the surface and simply burn up in the atmosphere. But very so often, a meteor of sufficient size will make it through and explode above the surface, where it can cause considerable damage.

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Differential stresses cause the break-up. The outside is hotter so expands. The inside is cooler so doesn’t. Maximum tensile stress is somewhere between the surface and the centre.

mollwollfumble said:

Differential stresses cause the break-up. The outside is hotter so expands. The inside is cooler so doesn’t. Maximum tensile stress is somewhere between the surface and the centre.

Could the two work together wind and heat expansion?

mollwollfumble said:

Differential stresses cause the break-up. The outside is hotter so expands. The inside is cooler so doesn’t. Maximum tensile stress is somewhere between the surface and the centre.

you didn’t read the article.

JudgeMental said:

mollwollfumble said:

Differential stresses cause the break-up. The outside is hotter so expands. The inside is cooler so doesn’t. Maximum tensile stress is somewhere between the surface and the centre.

you didn’t read the article.

It appears so.

JudgeMental said:

mollwollfumble said:

Differential stresses cause the break-up. The outside is hotter so expands. The inside is cooler so doesn’t. Maximum tensile stress is somewhere between the surface and the centre.

you didn’t read the article.

The burning of the outer surface would aid air penetration wouldn’t it?

This new code allowed them to fully simulate the exchange of energy and momentum between the entering meteoroid and the interacting atmospheric air. During the simulations, air that was pushed into the meteoroid was allowed to percolate inside, which lowered the strength of the meteoroid significantly. In essence, air was able to reach the insides of the meteoroid and caused it to explode from the inside out.

Did this team allow for surface burning as well?

Tau.Neutrino said:

JudgeMental said:

mollwollfumble said:

Differential stresses cause the break-up. The outside is hotter so expands. The inside is cooler so doesn’t. Maximum tensile stress is somewhere between the surface and the centre.

you didn’t read the article.

The burning of the outer surface would aid air penetration wouldn’t it?

This new code allowed them to fully simulate the exchange of energy and momentum between the entering meteoroid and the interacting atmospheric air. During the simulations, air that was pushed into the meteoroid was allowed to percolate inside, which lowered the strength of the meteoroid significantly. In essence, air was able to reach the insides of the meteoroid and caused it to explode from the inside out.

Did this team allow for surface burning as well?

only a thin outer layer gets hot. meteorites are usually pretty cold when picked up soon after landing. they are not in the atmosphere very long as they come in at around 30kms, so in a few hundred k’s of atmosphere the heat hasn’t time to penetrate very deep. and we are talking fairly large bolides here.

JudgeMental said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

JudgeMental said:

you didn’t read the article.

The burning of the outer surface would aid air penetration wouldn’t it?

This new code allowed them to fully simulate the exchange of energy and momentum between the entering meteoroid and the interacting atmospheric air. During the simulations, air that was pushed into the meteoroid was allowed to percolate inside, which lowered the strength of the meteoroid significantly. In essence, air was able to reach the insides of the meteoroid and caused it to explode from the inside out.

Did this team allow for surface burning as well?

only a thin outer layer gets hot. meteorites are usually pretty cold when picked up soon after landing, or the pieces. they are not in the atmosphere very long as they come in at around 30km/s, so in a few hundred k’s of atmosphere the heat hasn’t time to penetrate very deep. and we are talking fairly large bolides here.

fixed.

Original research paper:

Tabetah, M. E. and Melosh, H. J. (2017), Air penetration enhances fragmentation of entering meteoroids. Meteorit Planet Sci. doi:10.1111/maps.13034

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.13034/full

Purdue University’s news article about this research. It’s well written, concise, clear and interesting.

https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2017/Q4/research-shows-why-meteroids-explode-before-they-reach-earth.html

JudgeMental said:

mollwollfumble said:

Differential stresses cause the break-up. The outside is hotter so expands. The inside is cooler so doesn’t. Maximum tensile stress is somewhere between the surface and the centre.

you didn’t read the article.

Not yet. I read the article after I post the response. Then I correct my response after researching the article. That’s why I’m called mollwollfumble.

mollwollfumble said:

JudgeMental said:

mollwollfumble said:

Differential stresses cause the break-up. The outside is hotter so expands. The inside is cooler so doesn’t. Maximum tensile stress is somewhere between the surface and the centre.

you didn’t read the article.

Not yet. I read the article after I post the response. Then I correct my response after researching the article. That’s why I’m called mollwollfumble.

Actually, being in severe pain this week limits my concentration time, all I can do is tweet.

mollwollfumble said:

mollwollfumble said:

JudgeMental said:

you didn’t read the article.

Not yet. I read the article after I post the response. Then I correct my response after researching the article. That’s why I’m called mollwollfumble.

Actually, being in severe pain this week limits my concentration time, all I can do is tweet. You’re lucky I fix the spelling.

I always read TN’s articles – eventually. Break-up method will depend on all three of composition, size, and original formation method. An iron-nickel only melts on the outside shedding its surface until it liquefies and then breaks up like a drop in an airstream. A sufficiently large ordinary chondrite melts on the outside but beaks up from differential stresses, as said above. A meteor containing volatiles such as water blows itself apart as those volatiles gassify. Rubble piles simpley disintegrate.