The American Meteor Society (AMS), reported that a fireball blazed at 32,000 mph (51.500 kph). It was visible above North Carolina on Friday night (Sept. 24).
NASA reported that the fireball was one of five meteors that were observed soaring above the United States on the evening. More than 80 people saw it. At 7:40 p.m., the fiery meteor "skimmed North Carolina and became visible 48 miles [77 km] above the ocean off Camp Lejeune." NASA stated ET.
Brightly-burning meteor traveled northeasterly, "traveling 26 mile [42 km] through Earth’s upper atmosphere", before breaking apart 28 miles (45 km), above Morehead City in North Carolina.
Related: Space-y tales - The 5 most bizarre meteorites
According to Live Science, fireballs are meteors that are brighter than Venus.
Blazing space rocks are due to their enormous size and rapid speeds, which cause significant friction when they hit Earth's atmosphere. According to the AMS, fireballs can reach the atmosphere at speeds exceedingly high to break the sound barrier (between 25,000 and 160,000 miles) or with a powerful sonic boom.
Video footage from Rowland Pond's porch camera shows bright rock leaving a fiery trail in the night sky, before disappearing behind distant trees.
A fireball that explodes above the ground can cause severe damage. The Hiroshima bomb's energy release was 26 to 33 times that of the most recent meteorite. This explosion occurred in 2013 over Chelyabinsk, central Russia. Around 1,200 people were injured when fireballs fell on Chelyabinsk.
The Chelyabinsk fireball explosion is not the most alarming. Recent archaeological evidence suggests that a fireball may have detonated in the Middle East city of Tall el-Hamman about 3,600 years ago. Live Science reported that the explosion, roughly 1,000 times stronger than the Hiroshima bomb's, set the city ablaze and then sent a powerful shockwave through the city, killing all its inhabitants.
Original publication on Live Science
