A fireball traveling at 42,000 miles per hour crossed the night sky over Vermont on Sunday night, creating a spectacular light show. The meteor “fragmented so violently,” shook buildings across the state and caused a strong boom, NASA said.
NASA said on Facebook that more than 100 eyewitnesses reported details of the meteor in Vermont around 5:38 p.m. ET. It first appeared about 52 miles above Mount Mansfield State Forest, traveling 33 miles through the upper atmosphere, before burning 33 miles above Beach Hill in Orleans County.
He said the space rock was probably a fragment of an asteroid. It was so loud that it could be heard for miles as it shook houses and cars.
“As the object penetrated deeper into the atmosphere, the pressure accumulated in the front, while a partial vacuum formed behind it. At about 30 miles up, the pressure difference between the front and the back exceeded its resistance. structural, “said NASA Meteor Watch. “The space rock fragmented violently, producing a pressure wave that shook the buildings and generated the sound heard by those close to the trajectory.”
Witnesses also reported tremors on the ground, which NASA attributed to a pressure difference.
“Such a pressure wave can also engage in the ground, causing minor“ tremors ”that can be picked up by seismic instruments in the area; the wave itself can be detected by infrasound stations (low-frequency sound that can travel long distances), “the space agency said.
Three nearby stations reported that the meteor released the energy equivalent of 440 kilograms of TNT. Based on its speed and distance, scientists estimate that the object weighed about 10 kilograms, with a diameter of 6 inches.
One witness remarked on Facebook that it sounded like “big trucks crashing”, while another described that he could feel the house shaking and that he heard “a quick scream one step higher”
Another Facebook commenter said he was delighted to attend such a rare event, saying it was “extremely bright and absolutely spectacular!”
“A beautiful little fireworks, courtesy of Mother Nature,” NASA said.