Almahata Sitta 15

Da "NASA - Picture of the Day", del giorno 28 Marzo 2009:"Small Asteroid 2008 TC3 fell to Earth at dawn on October 7, 2008, tracking through the skies over the Nubian Desert in Northern Sudan. That event was remarkable because it was the first time an asteroid was detected in space before crashing into planet Earth's Atmosphere.
It was generally assumed the asteroid itself had completely disintegrated to dust. But, based on satellite and ground observations of the atmospheric impact event, Dr. Mauwia Shaddad of the University of Khartoum, aided by Dr. Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute and NASA Ames Research Center, led an expedition of students and staff to the area, combing the desert for surviving fragments.
On December 6, 2008, 2 hours after their search began, the first meteorite was found. The team ultimately collected some 280 small meteorites, now called Almahata Sitta, with a total mass of about 5 kilograms -- the first material recovered from a known asteroid. In stark contrast to the lighter-colored stones, the black fragment in the picture is Almahata Sitta meteorite number 15. About 4 centimeters in diameter, it is seen as it came to rest on the desert floor".

Nota Lunexit: la fotografia, sebbene suggestiva, presenta - a nostro parere - delle notevoli incongruenze di texture e colore. In altre parole, sembra più un image-composite che un vero e proprio single still.
Abbiamo quindi leggermente modificato la colorizzazione del frame, adattando il suolo al colore tipico della superficie del Deserto Sudanese (la "fotografia" originale sembra essere parecchio sovrasaturata) ed il colore blu del cielo è stato leggermente abbassato di tonalità ed intensificato (così ricreando - in visione - le condizioni atmosferiche tipiche dei cieli che sovrastano regioni desertiche in cui l'Atmosfera è estremamente secca e l'Opacità - Atmosferica - bassissima o nulla).