this post was submitted on 08 Oct 2025
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How would a "corgi-sized" meteor have a mass comparable to "four baby elephants"?
OK. Assuming the corgi is 60cm long, and assuming with "size" they think of "a sphere with a diameter of", we get a volume of 113000cm³. Depending on the weight of a baby elephant (90-120kg) we get 360 to 480 kilograms. Divided by the volume, we get a medium density between 3.1 and 4.2 g/cm³. According to Engineering Toolbox, this is about as dense as garnet or aluminium oxide, common types of stone.
If they took the height of the corgi (30cm) as a base of their spheres' diameter, the volume is down to ~14000cm³, leading to densities between 25.7 and 34.2 g/cm³. Now that would be interesting, because that would even surpass uranium (which has 19.something g/cm³).
So depending on how to interpret those measures, it'll be a ball of dirt, or a serious nuclear threat. That's why scientists use metric...
The article is even very specific about this. It's a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
For the real numbers:
Looks like my estimate is within the parameters.
Uhm I mean God knows what they meant, but in this context I visualize this headline as a meteor with the VOLUME of a Corgi, definitely not a sphere with the diameter of the longest dimension of a Corgi, that doesn't make much sense to me.
A corgi has a mass of 10-14kg, so assuming a density of an average mammal of ~1g/cm³ would actually give it a volume of 14000cm³. See paragraph three for results. Not good.
How not good?
That would imply that the meteor was denser than uranium.
Let's say its made of platinum and iridium... What would happen?
Apart from being too light, it will probably be dense enough so that parts of it will land on the ground. The mass and the (probable) speed will make a decent crater, but for that one would need more data, and a simulation tool.
Wait is there a crater impact simulator tool?
There are, but you need a lot of parameters to get it right. Mass and size are just two. You need speed and, most importantly, the direction it travells.
I figured you’d just use KSP. 😂
https://www.jpost.com/science/article-732223
So, yeah, they meant the diameter. Doesn't make much sense to me either, but then again, I'm not the one making a living writing science-y articles for a definitely non-science audience.