Observation of metre-scale impactors by the Desert Fireball NetworkOPEN ACCESS 

Hadrien A. R. Devillepoix, Philip A. Bland, Eleanor K. Sansom, Martin C. Towner, Martin Cupák, Robert M. Howie, Benjamin A. D. Hartig, Trent Jansen-Sturgeon, Morgan A. Cox

MNRAS 000, 1–14 (2018)
Submitted: 28 August, 2018

PDF (OPEN ACCESS)
Update (21 Dec 2018): LINK

“The Earth is impacted by 35-40 metre-scale objects every year. These meteoroids are the low mass end of impactors that can do damage on the ground. Despite this they are very poorly surveyed and characterised, too infrequent for ground based fireball bservation efforts, and too small to be efficiently detected by NEO telescopic surveys whilst still in interplanetary space. We want to evaluate the suitability of different instruments for characterising metre-scale impactors and where they come from. We use data collected over the first 3 years of operation of the continent-scale Desert Fireball Network, and compare results with other published results as well as orbital sensors. We find that although the orbital sensors have the advantage of using the entire planet as collecting area, there are several serious problems with the accuracy of the data, notably the reported velocity vector, which is key to getting an accurate pre-impact orbit and calculating meteorite fall positions. We also outline dynamic range issues that fireball networks face when observing large meteoroid entries.”