Modeling of the Dark Phase of Flight and the Impact Area for Meteorites of Real Shapes

Abstract

Aims. The complex dynamics of bodies, originating from the interplanetary matter and passing through Earth’s atmosphere, defines their further position, velocity, and final location on Earth’s surface in the form of meteorites. One of the important factors that affect the movement of a body in the atmosphere is its shape and orientation. Our goal is to model the interaction of real shape meteoroids with Earth’s atmosphere and compare the results with the standard spherical body approach. Methods. In the simulation, we use 3D models of fragments of the Košice meteorite with different sizes and shapes. Using a 3D model of fragments, we consider the real shape of the body to define its resistance properties during atmospheric transition more specifically. The simulation is performed using virtual wind tunnel in the MicroCFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software to obtain more realistic drag coefficients and using the µ(m)-Trajectory software to model the particle trajectory in the atmosphere including the wind profile. The final outputs from these programs are the drag coefficient as a function of the altitude and the particle orientation. Using these parameters we get the more realistic body trajectory and the impact area coordinates. Comparison of the results for real and spherical model meteorite impact location is discussed. Results. Simulation showed significant differences in trajectory and the impact area for the different real body orientations compared to the spherically symmetric body. Also, an important result is a difference in the impact area of the real body with a specific orientation without rotation and the body with considered rotation. The significant difference between the modeled impact of a real shape body and its real place of finding compared to a spherically symmetric body indicates the importance of the method used.