Key Takeaways
- An asteroid exploded over Normandy, France, in February 2023, raising concerns about planetary defense.
- The asteroid, 2023 CX1, disintegrated in a single blast, losing 98% of its mass at an altitude of 28 km.
- Its unusual fragmentation pattern highlights potential risks from similar L chondrite asteroids in the future.
Unexpected Explosion of Asteroid 2023 CX1
On February 13, 2023, the small asteroid 2023 CX1 entered Earth’s atmosphere and exploded over Normandy, France. This event was notable not only for its visual spectacularity but also because it is one of the few instances where an asteroid’s descent was tracked before impact—approximately seven hours in advance.
As it entered the atmosphere, 2023 CX1 produced a bright fireball and scattered meteorites across the region, with the majority of its remnants collected by researchers on the ground. So far, only two asteroids—2023 CX1 and another in Germany in 2024—have been observed before their atmospheric entry and yielded recoverable fragments.
Upon analyzing video footage from the asteroid’s descent, Auriane Egal and her team at the University of Western Ontario discovered a unique fragmentation pattern. While most asteroids disintegrate gradually during atmospheric entry, 2023 CX1 remained largely intact until it reached an altitude of 28 kilometers. It then exploded in a singular, violent event equivalent to 29 tons of TNT, rapidly losing 98% of its mass in a brief moment. “It was similar to a bomb,” Egal noted, emphasizing the catastrophic nature of this singular explosion which generated one spherical shockwave instead of multiple detonations along its trajectory.
Given that this asteroid was only 72 centimeters in diameter—approximately the size of a beach ball—it did not pose any immediate danger to the ground. However, experts warn that if a larger asteroid were to explode in a similar fashion, it could cause significant damage, potentially requiring the evacuation of a wider area around the predicted impact site.
The phenomenon observed in 2023 CX1 resembles that of the Novo Mesto meteor over Slovenia in 2020, which also lost a substantial portion of its mass during a singular explosion. This pattern of fragmentation is considered more hazardous than gradual disintegration as it may produce larger, more destructive debris fields.
Researchers are still uncertain why 2023 CX1 withstood atmospheric pressures until a lower altitude. The asteroid is classified as an L chondrite, which represents roughly a third of all Earth’s meteorites. It is hypothesized that its robustness may stem from its origin in the inner asteroid belt, specifically from a parent body named Massalia that had experienced previous collisions, fortifying 2023 CX1 before encountering Earth.
Evidence of this strength is reflected in the shock veins found in the recovered meteorite, which suggest it has endured numerous impacts. This fortification may have been crucial in allowing it to maintain its structural integrity longer than typical meteorites.
Given that L chondrites are a common type, there is growing concern that other similar asteroids could pose unexpected threats in the future. Thomas Burbine from Mount Holyoke College stresses the need to carefully monitor these types of asteroids, as they could potentially cause more damage than previously anticipated.
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