I have to respectfully disagree. Anecdotal at best in my opinion. Physics gets in the way of those accounts.
And I have to respectfully disagree with your assertions and point out that physics does not "
get in the way of those accounts". To the contrary, it provides credible explanations for them. Much of what you say is simply wrong.
The temperature of meteoroids in space within our solar system depends on a number of factors: size and geometry; optical properties; motion; and distance from the sun. Their temperatures can be calculated, taking into account the Solar Constant for any given distance from the Sun, but it most certainly is
NOT a “s
tatic temperature of 455 degrees below zero”. You’re quoting a Fahrenheit temperature close to absolute zero (equating to minus 270 Celcius vs absolute zero of minus 273) but that’s the
baseline temperature of outer space itself, as set by the background radiation from the Big Bang. It’s
not the temperature of every object that’s in space, and certainly not for objects within our solar system.
Meteoroids can come from deep space, from the Asteroid Belt or from collisions or impacts on and between asteroids within it, as well as from impacts on other solar system bodies (Mars and our Moon). Most meteorites arise from Earth’s orbit crossing clusters of asteroidal debris which are pulled in by Earth’s gravity and those have frequently had exposure to solar warming over long periods of time such that they are nowhere near your “static temperature”. It varies widely, but the
average surface temperature of a typical asteroidal body is only around minus 73 degrees Celsius and this has been confirmed by IR radiation measurements. If things were as simple as you suggest, then the Moon (with no atmospheric blanket and no seismic activity) would also be 455 degrees below zero (minus 270 Celcius). Clearly, it isn't!
It's a complex subject which doesn’t have a neat set of answers because there are so many influencing factors but, irrespective of the start temperature when a meteoroid hits our atmosphere, the final temperature when it reaches the ground (whether surface temperature or true temperature or after equilibration) also depends on: mass; compositional nature; specific heat, thermal conductivity; whether it’s an individual meteoroid, part of a shower or has fragmented during flight; and its incoming trajectory in relation to velocity and flight time.
Although the traditional model is that the compressive effect on the air in front of the meteoroid creates the vast majority of the heating; that transfer to the meteoroid is slow because gases are poor conductors; and most of the heat is carried away by ablation, that’s a simplification which belies the range of possibilities. Other factors come into play which can upset the model. This graph is from “Temperature Gradients in Meteorites Produced by Heating During Atmospheric Passage” [Sears 1975]:
What it shows is that, for typical conditions, the interior temperature of a nickel-iron meteorite likely only remains below freezing point (ie below 0 degrees Celcius) if it has a very short passage and a moderate diameter. Sears provides similar graphs for stony meteorites which show the same pattern but with a less pronounced effect because they have a lower thermal conductivity. In general, temperatures in the order of
+200°C have usually penetrated to a depth of 5-10mm with flight times in the region of 10 seconds. Consequently, a meteorite with a diameter of less than 10-20mm may well be as hot as 200°C all the way through to its centre when it reaches the ground. As the size goes up, the overall heat-load drops, but only meteorites beyond 20mm are capable of having a sub-zero interior temperature when they reach Earth’s surface and - even then - may equilibrate to a temperature perceived as warm or hot to the touch if they’re not much bigger than that.
The following list of ‘hot’ meteorites was compiled by Don Blakelsee of Wichita State University. It’s true that the ‘evidence; is of a qualitative nature (in the absence of the observers having a thermometer to hand). The accounts are usually based on the testimony of a single person or, a best, a small number of people. Some of them can be discounted as fantasy or exaggeration, such as descriptions of luminescence or incandescence, but others have a higher degree of credibility:
Alfianello [1883] (228 kg) - alleged to have singed the grass slightly [Heide, 1964]
Farmington [1890] (90 kg) - hot when dug up (Farrington, 1915)
Ferguson (1889) (77.5g of 220 g fall) - too hot to hold
Cabin Creek [1886] (48.6 kg) - hot (Farrington, 1915)
New Concord [1860] (46.8 kg of 230 kg fall) - as though it had lain on the ground exposed to the sun's rays (Farrington, 1915)
Warrenton [1877] (45.5g of 1.6 kg fall) - snow was melted and frozen ground thawed, but pieces, though warm, were easily handled (Farrington, 1915)
Braunau [1847] (39 kg) - too hot to touch for 6 hours (Bagnall, 1991)
Allegan [1899] (31.8 kg) - too hot to handle (Farrington, 1915)
Juromeha [1968] (25.3 kg) - incandescent when discovered; still warm morning
Bath [1892] (21.2 kg) - had to use gloves (Farrington, 1915)
Nanjemoy [1825] (7.44) kg - sensibly warm (Farrington, 1915)
Searsmont [1871] (5.4 kg) - quite hot (Farrington, 1915)
Mazapil [1885] (3.95 kg) - still luminescent for a while after impact, hot when finally picked up, could barely be handled (Farrington, 1915)
Lucé [1768] (3.5 kg) - too hot to handle (Burke 1986]
Tomatlan [1879] (0.9 kg) - still at a burning heat
Cross Roads [1892] (170 g) - grass near the spot was dead and looked as if it had been killed by fire (Farrington, 1915)
Queen's Mercy [1925[ (?? Of 7 kg fall) - smoking hot; burned a woman's hand (Burke, 1986)
There have been occasional more recent reports which post-date Blakeslee’s research for historical eyewitness accounts and which are potentially more reliable. In addition, at the other end of the spectrum, Blakeslee documents some ‘cold’ meteorites:
Dhurmsala [1860] (150 g of 32 kg fall) - had frost on its surface when recovered [Burke, 1986]
Forest City [1890] (36.4 kg of 152 kg fall) - fell on dry grass but did not char it (Farrington, 1915)
Drake Creek [1827] (5.2 kg) - cold when freshly fallen (Farrington, 1915)
Harrison County [1859] (0.7 kg) - not warm
Lumpkin [1869] (0.4 kg) - neither hot nor cold
Also Colby [1917] (104 kg) reportedly had frost on the surface when found, although Blakeslee doesn’t mention it.
Although Sears provides compelling evidence that “size matters”, the nature of these reports seems to underline that it’s not an “all-important” criterion and can be over-ridden by other factors.
