Meteors are spectacular and some make far more impact than others! When you’re out under the stars next, keep an eye to the night sky. You just might see something from out of this world!
Vredefort Crater - the World's Largest
Vredefort Crater in South Africa is the world’s largest at more than 300 kms across. It is named after the town Vredefort, that sits within the crater zone. The meteorite that hit the region is estimated to have been approximately 10 – 15 kms across.
Yarrabubba Impact Structure - the World's Oldest
Having only been confirmed this year, Yarrabubba is located southeast of Meekatharra and has been recognised as the world’s oldest impact structure by a team of scientists from Curtin University and the Imperial College London. They studied tiny impact-shocked crystals found at the site, which revealed that the crater formed approximately 2,229 billion years ago. Remnants of the eroded crater suggest it was about 70 km wide.
Meteor Crater - Best Preserved
Meteor Crater in Arizona is one of the best-preserved craters with a diameter of 1,200m, a depth of 170m and the rim of the crater rising 45m above the surrounding plains. The crater was created about 50,000 years ago by an iron/nickel object approximately 50 metres across.
Chicxulub Crater, Most Destructive
Estimated to have occurred 65 million years ago, this crater is located on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and mostly underwater. It is believed by many scientists that this impact caused or contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Its diameter is approximately 180 kms across and almost 20 kms deep and created by an object possibly up to 80 kms in diameter.
Wolf Creek Crater - Should be on Your Bucket List
Australia has 30 recognised impact craters and Wolfe Creek Crater up in WA’s Kimberley is one of the best preserved and remarkable to see. It was first believed the crater was formed 300,000 years ago; however recent studies determine it to be much younger at around 120,000 years old. Measuring 880m across and 60m deep, it rose out of the sandy desert, like a sentinel from a moment in time, when an object about 15m across slammed into the region in a cataclysmic fire storm. The crater was discovered in 1947 although it has been long known to Aboriginal people who call it Kandimalal.
report your fireball sightings!
The Fireballs in the Sky team are based at Curtin University. They are on the lookout for new Citizen Scientists to report bright meteors.
