Huge fireball sparks panic as it streaks over American states – but what was it?
A huge fireball over Kentucky was heard and seen in 13 US states.
More than 200 people in several states, including Ohio, the Carolinas and Tennessee, reported seeing a bright fireball in the sky at 9:45 p.m. Thursday. NASA Meteor Watch.
The “very bright” fireball was a meteor that disintegrated 30 miles above Exie, Kentucky, near Bowling Green. The meteor’s disintegration released the equivalent of 10 tons of TNT in energy, creating a blast wave that some Americans heard as it traveled toward the ground.
“This wave is responsible for the sounds that some eyewitnesses heard,” the organization said.
According to NASA, the fireball was about 20 inches (50 centimeters) in diameter, weighed 400 pounds (180 kilograms), was traveling at 51,000 mph (82,000 km/h) and originated from a meteorite.
More than 200 people in several states, including Ohio, the Carolinas and Tennessee, reported a bright fireball in the sky at 9:45 p.m. Thursday.
The “very bright” fireball was a meteor that disintegrated 30 miles above Exie, Kentucky, near Bowling Green
It is not known whether the event caused a meteorite to impact Earth’s surface. Some pieces that survived atmospheric entry may have landed near the Alta Pass in the Blue Ridge Mountains, according to Fox Weather.
The meteor was visible from Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.
βYou may have heard that there was excitement in our area early this morning due to a suspected meteor!β The X account focused on news Grandfather posted.
‘A few cameras in our park captured the landscape lighting up just before 1:15 am. We thought it would be fun to share our view of this phenomenon with you.’
‘Never seen anything like it. Not comet-like… No long tail… But bright green and fast… must have crashed on the right side of I-40 East, but never saw an explosion. It was wild,’ another one wrote the spectator.
The meteor’s breakup released 10 tons of TNT energy, creating a pressure wave that some Americans heard as it traveled toward the ground
The fireball was about 50 centimeters in diameter, weighed 180 kilograms, was traveling at 82,000 km/h and was caused by a meteorite.
βI really felt like I could walk there because it looked so close,β said Kelly W. of Harriman, Tennessee.
Mary M., of Olive Hill, Kentucky, said, “It was beautiful! The first one I’ve ever seen!”
βIt was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen and experienced,β said Sue S. of Glenhayes, West Virginia.
Only about five percent of meteors survive landing on Earth.
According to Fox Weather, about 500 meteorites reach the Earth’s surface each year, but they are rarely recovered.
About 500 meteorites reach the Earth’s surface each year, but they are rarely recovered
Parking lots were lit up during the explosion, as seen on Grandfather Mountain