Alice Springs, Australia
2 min read
May 20, 2019 12:17 AM ACST – CNEOS reported a 0.11 kiloton event in Australia’s Northern Territory, near the town of Alice Springs. This was a large fireball, which came in at a very steep angle and there are likely meteorites on the ground. However, there is significant uncertainty as to the exact location of the fireball, so the search area is large. Please review the links below and the attached files for detailed info.
| Event Source(s): | CNEOS |
| Date/Time: | 05/19/2019 14:47:03 UTC |
| Location: | 100km W of Alice Springs, NT, AUS |
| Reference Coordinates: | 23.6°S 132.8°E Google Map |
| Reference Altitude: | 33.3 km above sea level |
| Energy / Mass Estimate: | 0.11kt / 3984kg |
| Entry Speed: | 15.2 km/s |
| Bearing: | 103.7° E |
| Slope: | 11.5° from vertical |
Event Videos
The videos shown here were used to calculate the trajectory of the meteor, in the file attached below.
Important Legal Notice
Meteorites are protected by law in Australia. Please refer to the Meteorites Act 1987 and contact the Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park before searching.
StrewnLAB Results & Data
This event was a bit odd, because it had a tailwind, and the lighter fragments would have been blown eastward along the trajectory, effectively catching up to the heavier fragments. Depending on variation in wind speed, this could make the strewn field very small and dense. However, being sourced primarily from CNEOS, there is a lot of uncertainty in the search area. The attached bulletin and KMZ files contain the StrewnLAB strewn field and mass zones.
If you plan to hunt for meteorites at this location, feel free to contact Jim Goodall and request a more detailed map.
The author and founder of Strewnify.com, an automotive controls engineer, with a passion for physics.
Hancock, Michigan, USA | james.a.goodall@gmail.com | +1 586 709 5888
