# Fatal meteorite **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 8, 2016, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521 "2016-02-08T08:12:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/1 "2016-02-08T08:12:46Z")
News reports such as [this one](http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/jayalalithaa-vellore-explosion-tamil-nadu-cm/), say that a meteorite hit a college campus in India and killed a bus driver. If true, it’s the first known human casualty by a rock from space. The thing that I’m wondering about is that the thing exploded when it landed. My understanding is that smallish meteorites, when hitting Earth, generally don’t explode. The atmosphere slows them down enough that they’re not significantly different than a rock falling. It might shatter, but explode? Is my understanding wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/2 "2016-02-08T10:47:34Z")
Well, the first line in the article is obviously wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/3 "2016-02-08T11:48:48Z")
There are sporadic reports of fatal meteorite strikes from as far back as the 1600’s - I’d be very surprised if this is truly the first. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/4 "2016-02-08T11:58:33Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’d be very surprised if this is truly the first. First reliably documented example. ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/5 "2016-02-08T12:54:48Z")
Well, maybe the crash itself was mistaken for an explosion. I would imagine that witnesses, in the first moments, would automatically think “bomb!” rather than “meteorite!” Also, there was a fatal meteorite impact in Venezuela in the 1970s… But the victim was a cow, if I am not mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/6 "2016-02-08T13:03:28Z")
At the time the object struck its fatal blow, was it correctly called a ‘meteor’ ir a ‘meteorite’? It must have still been in motion, to have done any harm, so should properly be called a meteor. Does a meteor become a meteorite when it comes to rest, or as soon as it enters and is influenced by the earth’s environment? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/7 "2016-02-08T16:06:44Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > My understanding is that smallish meteorites, when hitting Earth, generally don’t explode. The atmosphere slows them down enough that they’re not significantly different than a rock falling. It might shatter, but explode? Is my understanding wrong? A meteorite small enough to not KILL EVERYONE FOR MILES will be traveling at relatively low speeds - say, less than 500 mph. The article doesn’t say that the meteorite exploded, just that it _caused_ an explosion. That’s probably just the journalist’s understanding of the term as a synonym for “very loud noise.” ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/8 "2016-02-08T17:30:32Z")
WTF is a “solatium of Rs 1 lakh”? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/9 "2016-02-08T17:41:26Z")
> [@bump](#): > > WTF is a “solatium of Rs 1 lakh”? A compensation of 100,000 Rupees the lakh is the Indian numeral unit for a hundred thousand (and the crore is the unit for 10 million) “Solatium”, from the same root as consolation or solace, is a pain-and-suffering reparation ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/10 "2016-02-08T18:24:54Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > it’s the first known human casualty by a rock from space. The normal definition of casualty includes injury, which means the 1954 Sylacauga meteorite qualifies. From [this National Geographic link](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/02/130220-russia-meteorite-ann-hodges-science-space-hit/): > [@](#): > > On a clear afternoon in Sylacauga, Alabama (see map), in late November 1954, Ann was napping on her couch, covered by quilts, when a softball-size hunk of black rock broke through the ceiling, bounced off a radio, and hit her in the thigh, leaving a pineapple-shaped bruise. ---
**Author:** ![Panthan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Panthan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panthan)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/11 "2016-02-08T18:33:15Z")
> [@JoseB](#): > > Also, there was a fatal meteorite impact in Venezuela in the 1970s… But the victim was a cow, if I am not mistaken. I don’t see how her weight makes it any less tragic. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/12 "2016-02-09T02:24:42Z")
Your evident concern for the poor victim is moooving. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/13 "2016-02-09T03:56:11Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Your evident concern for the poor victim is moooving. Hey dude, you saw what they said over in ATMB about concern trolling! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/14 "2016-02-09T04:02:26Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > The normal definition of casualty includes injury, which means the 1954 Sylacauga meteorite qualifies. > > From [this National Geographic link](http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/02/130220-russia-meteorite-ann-hodges-science-space-hit/): > Quote: > On a clear afternoon in Sylacauga, Alabama (see map), in late November 1954, Ann was napping on her couch, covered by quilts, when a softball-size hunk of black rock broke through the ceiling, bounced off a radio, and hit her in the thigh, leaving a pineapple-shaped bruise. “Re-enactment” of the Hodges meteorite incident done for a kid’s science program I worked on several years ago. 😉 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gRAO01M56ZQ/hqdefault.jpg "Mrs. Hodges") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRAO01M56ZQ) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/15 "2016-02-09T14:37:35Z")
The news report I heard claimed it was the first fatal meteor strike in 200 years. It didn’t go into any detail, so I have no idea what the previous one was. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/16 "2016-02-09T14:46:58Z")
[From Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorite) “A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from a source, such as an asteroid or a comet, that originates in outer space and survives its impact with the Earth’s surface. It is called a meteoroid before its impact.” [From Universe Today:](http://www.universetoday.com/36398/what-is-the-difference-between-asteroids-and-meteorites/) > [@](#): > > Asteroid: a large rocky body in space, in orbit around the Sun. > > Meteoroid: much smaller rocks or particles in orbit around the Sun. > > Meteor: If a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere and vaporizes, it becomes a meteor, which is often called a shooting star. > > Meteorite: If a small asteroid or large meteoroid survives its fiery passage through the Earth’s atmosphere and lands on Earth’s surface, it is then called a meteorite. > > Another related term is bolide, which is a very bright meteor that often explodes in the atmosphere. This can also be called a fireball. ---
**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/17 "2016-02-09T20:09:36Z")
Why do meteors of any size explode anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/18 "2016-02-09T20:58:14Z")
Because there’s a lot of energy being converted very quickly to heat. ---
**Author:** ![Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ba8739/32.png) [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/19 "2016-02-10T01:02:53Z")
Okay, so this is what I got. If he was hit directly and pulverized, which he was not, then he was killed by a meteor. But, if the meteor hit the ground first, then he was killed by the explosion of the meteorite. Not trying to show off, but I copied that explanation from the NFL’s pass-catch rules. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2016, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521/20 "2016-02-10T05:00:44Z")
> [@Panthan](#): > > I don’t see how her weight makes it any less tragic. She was talking on her cell phone at a funeral at the time. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fatal-meteorite/745521.md?page=2)