Astronomers trace 22-million-year journey of asteroid; from source to Earth

Scientists, in a first, have been able to trace the 22 million years stunning journey of a solitary meteoroid from the place it originated to the Earth. The entire voyage of the space object in the solar system was charted by the international research team, which consists of the NASA Ames Research Center, scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) and Curtin University in Australia, and the SETI Institute in the US. Using NASA's hazardous asteroid-hunting telescopes and the ANU SkyMapper telescope in Australia, researchers traced the asteroid's one-way journey to Earth. 

According to the study published in the Meteoritics and Planetary Science journal, the six-tonne asteroid, estimated to be five-foot (1.5-meter) diameter, weighed about 12,566 pounds (5,700kg), and traveled at around 37,282 mph (60,000kph) before breaking up in Earth's atmosphere 16.7 miles (27km) above us, and hurtling to the ground.  

Different fragments of 2018 LA. Credit: ANU/for AP]

In the CCTV camera, scientists captured the 2018LA’s conclusive moments as well, when the asteroid turned to flames, changing into a massive fireball before diminishing.  2018LA illuminated the sky and later disintegrated at about 60,000 kmph above the Kalahari Desert in Botswana on June 2, 2018. The discovery of the asteroid, although, would help astrophysicists and astronomers to enhance their understanding and knowledge about what the Earth-threatening asteroids were made of.

“Analysis of the meteorites from 2018LA indicate it was deeply buried under the surface of Vesta prior to being ejected all those years ago,” astronomer Hadrien Devillepoix said.

Formed in Vesta’s Veneneia basin

“As the asteroid broke up 27km above ground, it was 20,000 times brighter than the full moon,” astronomer Christian Wolf said. “I could hardly believe my eyes when I came upon an object that appeared to be moving across images taken by SkyMapper,” he added. The final images of the asteroid before it entered the Earth’s atmosphere widely assisted scientists in finding the pieces of the celestial body in Africa. A total of 23 fragments in the Kalahari were discovered. The asteroid’s trajectory leads back to 4 Vesta, the second-largest asteroid in the solar system, with a diameter of about 525km, Dr. Onken said. “It’s the only one bright enough to be sometimes visible to the unaided eye,” he added. Scientists believe that 2018LA  was formed in a crater in Vesta’s Veneneia basin after a collision with another asteroid.