Meteorite hits Nicaragua, can anyone confirm this?

[Marcisar68]

Nicaragua’s government says a loud boom heard overnight by residents of the capital was made by a small meteorite that left a crater in a wooded area near the city’s airport. There is no physical evidence of that, can anyone confirm that ? http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/small-meteorite-strikes-nicaragua-government-says/2014/09/07/8c8b3f7c-36dd-11e4-a023-1d61f7f31a05_story.html

[Marcisar68]

This is a aerial view video  of the "impact zone". It looks more like an excavation and a lot of BS:

[zyxwv99]

Apparently it landed in a wooded area near the capital's airport, leaving a 39-foot (13-meter) crater. A nearby seismometer recorded the event.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/09/07/meteor-strikes-near-nicaraguas-capital-leaving-39-foot-crater/

[acey]

Speculated to be a fragment from near-Earth asteroid 2014 RC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29098632

Heather Couper speaking on R4 Today about it at 8.28 am.

[acey]

Article in Irish Examiner quotes Dan Brown (astronomer, not the author):

Dr Dan Brown, an astronomy expert at Nottingham Trent University, said: “The possible meteorite impact in Nicaragua, linked with the asteroid 2014 RC which flew by Earth raises some interesting questions.

“Although the impact occurred roughly 12 hours before the asteroid passed Earth, that part of the planet was facing in the right direction for it to have been a fragment associated with it.

“If it was an unrelated object, however, then it further demonstrates how we don’t really monitor all the potentially dangerous rocks out there.”

Residents living near the Nicaraguan capital said they heard a mysterious loud noise on Saturday night, later discovering a crater in an area of woodland near the city airport.

Experts are attending the scene, where the crater was said to have been 12 metres (39ft) in circumference and 5 metres (16ft) deep.

Dr Brown said: “It certainly makes absolute sense that people surrounding the impact site heard a loud boom – but a flash of light or bright object should also have been observed before that.

“Further analysis will hopefully help to establish this and possibly give a better indication of the object’s trajectory. It is still to be seen if any material of the meteorite can be recovered.

“Both pieces of evidence would make it possible to link it to 2014 RC and help us understand more about asteroids.”

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/world/meteor-impact-may-be-linked-to-60-foot-asteroid-that-was-supposed-to-miss-earth-641418.html

[Marcisar68]

A lot of speculation but nothing solid yet. The Fireball and Bolide Reports  does not show anything even though not all fireballs and bolides are reported. http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/fireballs/

[Marcisar68]

NASA Raises Doubts About Reports of Nicaraguan Meteorite http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140908-managua-meteor-nasa-science/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_content=link_fb20140908news-meteor&utm_campaign=Content&sf4543309=1

[acey]

Sounds like it was more likely something dropping off an aeroplane.