4 ms·

Why does the meteorite have the energy to crash through the roof of the house, but then stop on a pillow (without damage to the pillow, as far as the picture sh

by JadeNB 5y ago

Why does the meteorite have the energy to crash through the roof of the house, but then stop on a pillow (without damage to the pillow, as far as the picture shows)? (I'm not sure why we have this bizarrely sequential headline—surely no-one would say "crashes into house, bedroom, pillow" in conversation—when the actual headline, "Woman rocked awake by meteorite chunk crashing into her bedroom", seems (if punny) just fine. But I do like that the article leads with a picture of a meteorite sitting on a pillow. You know, as proof.)

lovecg 5y ago
Speak for yourself. My conversations are specific, detailed, factual.
teraflop 5y ago
I don't know how much stock we should put in the exact sequence of events recalled by someone who had just woken up, but it doesn't seem that implausible to me. It's not like the meteorite would have been traveling at thousands of miles per hour. By the time it got to ground level, it would have slowed down to its terminal velocity. Some amount of energy would have been absorbed in its collision with the roof, and it wouldn't have had time to accelerate very much in the remaining fraction of a second before coming to rest on a soft surface. By way of comparison, I can easily imagine a dropped bowling ball going through a roof but not doing much damage to a bed and pillow.
- sundvor 5y ago
  Yep. I can easily punch through a wall. A pillow, not so much.
rkagerer 5y ago
True but I actually like the sense of passage conveyed by the existing title as you picture it closing in on the target. Like that rock had a rough night and just wanted someplace soft to crash.
Zenst 5y ago
My thoughts as well and spent some time trying to think of how and details and it still don't seem to feel right. Roof don't look substantial enough to slow something that size and dare say density enough for it to be finally stopped by a pillow. Then the entry marks, just don't feel right, given the speeds and also the temps, I'd expect some entry marks and in a way, a more cleaner hole perhaps. Then the aspect that it would still be hot and no pillow would be able to withstand the kinda heat it would still have. Too much of this feels off, so be interesting how those tests come out. Makes me wonder - how hard is it to fake a meteorite?
- outworlder 5y ago
  > Roof don't look substantial enough to slow something that size and dare say density enough for it to be finally stopped by a pillow Why not? It was in free fall. Wouldn't a rock be similarly stopped? > given the speeds and also the temps What speeds? It would have slowed down to terminal velocity way before reaching the ground. What temps? It should be pretty cold by then. The glowing red hot meteorite on the ground is a Hollywood invention. > Makes me wonder - how hard is it to fake a meteorite? Depends on who you want to fool. Researchers with access to equipment? No chance. News organizations? May not be that difficult. > Then the aspect that it would still be hot Nope. Not that hot. There's a debate on whether or not it will even be warm. Probably cool to the touch. http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/our-solar-system/75-our-solar-system/comets-meteors-and-asteroids/meteorites/314-are-meteorites-hot-or-cold-when-they-hit-earth-intermediate http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/our-solar-system/75-our-sol...
- Nzen 5y ago
  Oh. I didn't think I would need to ever point to the 'is it a meteorite?' [0] flowchart. I guess how hard you have to fake depends on who you are convincing. Slag can fool your friends, but anyone who studies or collects meteorites will probably require some multi stage metallurgical process to convince. [0] https://geoscience.unlv.edu/what-to-do-if-you-think-that-youve-found-a-meteorite/ https://geoscience.unlv.edu/what-to-do-if-you-think-that-you...
  - WrtCdEvrydy 5y ago
heavyset_go 5y ago
I'm assuming the last layer of ceiling it penetrated slowed it down enough. A pillow and bed can also absorb the shock better than something rigid. I'd also assume that someone who is in shape can throw a rock hard enough that it penetrates dry wall easily, yet not penetrate a pillow. Similar amounts of energy were probably involved by the time the meteorite had entered the bedroom.
BurningFrog 5y ago
I don't think this is a "why" question. Apparently it did have the right energy to crash through the roof but not damage the pillow.
amluto 5y ago
Flexibility. A roof will apply substantial stopping force to a fast moving object over a very short distance until the roof breaks. (And bit more as the broken piece of roof accelerates.). A pillow or mattress will deform a lot without breaking, so the smaller stopping force will be applied over a much larger distance. (Energy change = force times distance)

by JadeNB 5y ago

lovecg 5y ago

Speak for yourself. My conversations are specific, detailed, factual.

teraflop 5y ago

I don't know how much stock we should put in the exact sequence of events recalled by someone who had just woken up, but it doesn't seem that implausible to me. It's not like the meteorite would have been traveling at thousands of miles per hour. By the time it got to ground level, it would have slowed down to its terminal velocity. Some amount of energy would have been absorbed in its collision with the roof, and it wouldn't have had time to accelerate very much in the remaining fraction of a second before coming to rest on a soft surface. By way of comparison, I can easily imagine a dropped bowling ball going through a roof but not doing much damage to a bed and pillow.

sundvor 5y ago
Yep. I can easily punch through a wall. A pillow, not so much.

rkagerer 5y ago

True but I actually like the sense of passage conveyed by the existing title as you picture it closing in on the target. Like that rock had a rough night and just wanted someplace soft to crash.

Zenst 5y ago

My thoughts as well and spent some time trying to think of how and details and it still don't seem to feel right. Roof don't look substantial enough to slow something that size and dare say density enough for it to be finally stopped by a pillow. Then the entry marks, just don't feel right, given the speeds and also the temps, I'd expect some entry marks and in a way, a more cleaner hole perhaps. Then the aspect that it would still be hot and no pillow would be able to withstand the kinda heat it would still have. Too much of this feels off, so be interesting how those tests come out. Makes me wonder - how hard is it to fake a meteorite?

outworlder 5y ago
> Roof don't look substantial enough to slow something that size and dare say density enough for it to be finally stopped by a pillow Why not? It was in free fall. Wouldn't a rock be similarly stopped? > given the speeds and also the temps What speeds? It would have slowed down to terminal velocity way before reaching the ground. What temps? It should be pretty cold by then. The glowing red hot meteorite on the ground is a Hollywood invention. > Makes me wonder - how hard is it to fake a meteorite? Depends on who you want to fool. Researchers with access to equipment? No chance. News organizations? May not be that difficult. > Then the aspect that it would still be hot Nope. Not that hot. There's a debate on whether or not it will even be warm. Probably cool to the touch. http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/our-solar-system/75-our-solar-system/comets-meteors-and-asteroids/meteorites/314-are-meteorites-hot-or-cold-when-they-hit-earth-intermediate http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/our-solar-system/75-our-sol...
Nzen 5y ago
Oh. I didn't think I would need to ever point to the 'is it a meteorite?' [0] flowchart. I guess how hard you have to fake depends on who you are convincing. Slag can fool your friends, but anyone who studies or collects meteorites will probably require some multi stage metallurgical process to convince. [0] https://geoscience.unlv.edu/what-to-do-if-you-think-that-youve-found-a-meteorite/ https://geoscience.unlv.edu/what-to-do-if-you-think-that-you...
- WrtCdEvrydy 5y ago

heavyset_go 5y ago

I'm assuming the last layer of ceiling it penetrated slowed it down enough. A pillow and bed can also absorb the shock better than something rigid. I'd also assume that someone who is in shape can throw a rock hard enough that it penetrates dry wall easily, yet not penetrate a pillow. Similar amounts of energy were probably involved by the time the meteorite had entered the bedroom.

BurningFrog 5y ago

I don't think this is a "why" question. Apparently it did have the right energy to crash through the roof but not damage the pillow.

amluto 5y ago

Flexibility. A roof will apply substantial stopping force to a fast moving object over a very short distance until the roof breaks. (And bit more as the broken piece of roof accelerates.). A pillow or mattress will deform a lot without breaking, so the smaller stopping force will be applied over a much larger distance. (Energy change = force times distance)