2008 TC3

2008 TC₃
	Estimated path and altitude of the meteor in red, with the possible location for the METEOSAT IR fireball (bolide) as orange crosshairs and the infrasound detection of the explosion in green.
Discovery
Discovered by	Catalina Sky Survey
Discovery date	October 6, 2008, 06:39 UTC
Designations
MPC designation	2008 TC3
Minor planet category	NEO; Apollo;
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch October 7, 2008 (JD 2454746.5)
	Uncertainty parameter 4
Observation arc	1 day (575 observations)
Aphelion	1.71644 AU (256.776 Gm)
Perihelion	0.899957 AU (134.6317 Gm)
Semi-major axis	1.308201 AU (195.7041 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.312065
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.50 yr (546.53 d)
Mean anomaly	330.7541°
Mean motion	0.6587071°/day
Inclination	2.54220°
Longitude of ascending node	194.101138°
Time of perihelion	2008-Nov-20
Argument of perihelion	234.44897°
Jupiter MOID	3.57975 AU (535.523 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	4.1 meters
Mass	80 tonnes (80,000 kg)
Mean density	~1.5 g/cm3
Synodic rotation period	0.0269409 h (1.61645 min)
Geometric albedo	0.1±0.03
Spectral type	F/M
Absolute magnitude (H)	30.4

2008 TC₃ (Catalina Sky Survey temporary designation 8TA9D69) was an 80-tonne (80-long-ton; 90-short-ton), 4.1-meter (13 ft) diameter asteroid^[2] that entered Earth's atmosphere on October 7, 2008.^[3] It exploded at an estimated 37 kilometers (23 mi) above the Nubian Desert in Sudan. Some 600 meteorites, weighing a total of 10.5 kilograms (23.1 lb), were recovered; many of these belonged to a rare type known as ureilites, which contain, among other minerals, nanodiamonds.^[2]^[4]^[5]

It was the first time that an asteroid impact had been predicted before its entry into the atmosphere as a meteor.^[6]

^ ^a ^b ^c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2008 TC3)" (last observation: October 7, 2008; arc: 1 day). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
^ ^a ^b Jenniskens, P.; et al. (2009). "The impact and recovery of asteroid 2008 TC₃". Nature. 458 (7237): 485–488. Bibcode:2009Natur.458..485J. doi:10.1038/nature07920. PMID 19325630. S2CID 7976525.
^ Plait, P. (October 6, 2008). "Incoming!!!". Bad Astronomy. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
^ Chang, K. (March 25, 2009). "Recovered Pieces of Asteroid Hold Clues to Early History". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2009.
^ Borenstein, S. (March 26, 2009). "Astronomers catch a shooting star for 1st time". ABC news. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
^ Roylance, F. (October 7, 2008). "Predicted meteor may have been sighted". Maryland Weather. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.

[jpldata-1] "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2008 TC3)" (last observation: October 7, 2008; arc: 1 day). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved March 28, 2016.

[Jenniskens2009-2] Jenniskens, P.; et al. (2009). "The impact and recovery of asteroid 2008 TC₃". Nature. 458 (7237): 485–488. Bibcode:2009Natur.458..485J. doi:10.1038/nature07920. PMID 19325630. S2CID 7976525.

[discovermagazine-3] Plait, P. (October 6, 2008). "Incoming!!!". Bad Astronomy. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.

[nytimes-4] Chang, K. (March 25, 2009). "Recovered Pieces of Asteroid Hold Clues to Early History". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved March 26, 2009.

[AP-5] Borenstein, S. (March 26, 2009). "Astronomers catch a shooting star for 1st time". ABC news. The Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.

[Roylance2008-6] Roylance, F. (October 7, 2008). "Predicted meteor may have been sighted". Maryland Weather. Archived from the original on October 10, 2008. Retrieved October 8, 2008.

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