duringbolide

Duringbolide is a term used in astronomy to describe a bolide that explodes or significantly breaks apart while still within Earth's atmosphere. A bolide itself is a particularly bright meteor, often associated with a sonic boom or visible fragmentation. The "during" aspect emphasizes that the most dramatic events, such as the disintegration and subsequent flash of light, occur before the object reaches the ground, if it reaches the ground at all.

The fragmentation of a duringbolide is typically caused by the intense aerodynamic stresses and thermal shock experienced as the object plunges through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. As the bolide encounters increasing atmospheric density, the pressure difference between its front and back surfaces, along with rapid heating and cooling, can cause it to fracture into smaller pieces. These pieces then burn up more readily, contributing to the brilliant light display and the potential for widespread meteor showers if the fragments are small enough.

Notable examples of duringbolides include the Chelyabinsk meteor event in 2013, which caused significant damage due to the shockwave generated by its atmospheric explosion, and the Tunguska event in 1908, whose exact nature is still debated but is widely believed to have been an airburst of a larger object. Studying duringbolides provides valuable insights into the composition and behavior of near-Earth objects and the potential hazards they pose. The sound produced by a duringbolide, often a boom or series of cracks, is a result of the shockwaves generated by its rapid deceleration and fragmentation.