A small space rock exploded into the dirt outside the capital of Nicaragua on late Saturday night. Locals there said they heard a large blast just before midnight, and officials located a crater, 40 feet wide and 16 feet deep, near Managua's international airport.
Last week, NASA confirmed that a "small asteroid, designated 2014 RC" would "pass very close to Earth" over the weekend. It now appears the hole in the woods outside Managua is the result of a small piece of rock that broke off from 2014 RC.
"A bit must have dropped off," British astronomer Heather Couper told BBC News. "These impacts happen about once a year, so we do have to be on our toes."
Officials in Nicaragua haven't been able to confirm whether the meteorite exploded on impact or plunged into the ground intact. No one was hurt during the collision.