The Earth-grazing meteoroid of 13 October 1990 entered the atmosphere above Czechoslovakia and Poland and, after 9.8 seconds, returned to space. Named EN131090, the 44-kilogram (97 lb) meteoroid was observed travelling 409 kilometres (254 mi) at a speed of 42 km/s (26 mi/s) by cameras of the European Fireball Network. Its apparent magnitude peaked at −6.3, several times brighter than Venus's peak magnitude. Observations of such events are quite rare; this was the second recorded by scientific astronomical instruments (after the 1972 Great Daylight Fireball) and the first recorded from two distant positions, which enabled the calculation of several of its orbital characteristics. The encounter with Earth significantly changed its orbit and, to a smaller extent, some of its physical properties, including its mass and the structure of its upper layer. If the meteoroid had reached the lower atmosphere, it would have overheated and exploded high above the ground, leaving at most a few small meteorites that posed no danger to the Earth's surface. Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth-grazing_meteoroid_of_13_October_1990> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1710: Queen Anne's War: The French surrender ending the Siege of Port Royal gave the British permanent possession of Nova Scotia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Port_Royal_(1710)> 1812: War of 1812: British troops and Mohawk warriors repelled an American invasion from across the Niagara River at the Battle of Queenston Heights near Queenston, Ontario. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Queenston_Heights> 1911: Prince Arthur, a son of Queen Victoria, became the first Governor General of Canada of royal descent, as well as the first Prince of Great Britain and Ireland to hold that position. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Arthur,_Duke_of_Connaught_and_Strathearn> 1921: The Soviet republics of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia signed the Treaty of Kars with the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to establish the contemporary borders between Turkey and the South Caucasus states. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Kars> 1958: The first book featuring the English children's literature character Paddington Bear (statue pictured), created by Michael Bond and primarily illustrated by Peggy Fortnum, was published. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddington_Bear> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: overnourished: 1. Excessively nourished. 2. (often euphemistic) Overweight. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/overnourished> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:   It may be the cock that crows, but it is the hen that lays the eggs.   --Margaret Thatcher <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Thatcher>