Meteorite-hit near Nicaraguan capital likely was asteroid piece

In this Sunday Sept. 7, 2014, publicly distributed handout photo provided by the Nicaraguan Army shows an impact crater made by a small meteorite in a wooded area near Managua's international airport and an air force base. Nicaraguan government spokeswoman Rosario Murillo said Sunday that a loud boom heard overnight by residents of the capital was a 'relatively small' meteorite that 'appears to have come off an asteroid that was passing close to Earth.' AP Photo

A meteorite that left a crater near the international airport in the Nicaraguan capital Managua may have been part of the asteroid, 60-feet in size, that flew past Earth last weekend.

According to the Nicaraguan government's lead spokesperson Rosario Murillo, the meteorite seemed to have broken off an asteroid which was passing close to Earth.

The government has asked experts to determine whether the meteorite came from the asteroid, BBC reported. No one was hurt as the meteorite hit the wooded area near the international airport and an air force base.

The asteroid "2014 RC" passed over New Zealand at a distance of 40,000 km from the earth Sunday.
"The asteroid that flew past earth was first discovered Aug 31 and, at its closest approach, was about one-tenth of the distance from the centre of Earth to the Moon," NASA said in a statement.
An asteroid of the same size left over 1,000 people injured when it exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013.

Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels | Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks