A 1000 kg meteorite that fell onto Earth was the cause of the fireball that was seen in Texas on Wednesday, according to NASA.
On February 15, at about 5 p.m. EST, a sonic boom startled locals near the South Texas city of McAllen.
NASA has finally acknowledged that a meteorite believed to have a diameter of about two feet entered the Earth’s atmosphere after looking into the occurrence.
According to the space agency, the enormous space rock, which was about the size of a grizzly bear and contained the energy of eight tons of TNT, had been traveling at 27,000 miles per hour.
In a statement following the release of a satellite-captured photograph of the fireball, NASA said: “Based on analysis of early data from many sources, NASA specialists believe the item was a meteoroid about two feet in diameter and weighing about 1,000 pounds.
“The angle and speed of entry are comparable with other naturally occurring meteorite falls, as are signals in weather radar imagery. Radar and other data show that meteorites from this event did reach the ground.
They added: “While meteorites often strike Earth’s atmosphere at tremendous speeds, they slow as they travel through the stratosphere, shattering into minute fragments before impacting the earth. This is the case with the meteorite that fell to Earth in Texas after fragmenting at a height of 21 miles. The public is typically not at risk from meteorites since they cool quickly.
No injuries or property damage were reported.
Sheriff Eddie Guerra of Hidalgo County reported that locals approached his deputies who were monitoring the area and related seeing a “falling star” that caused a “loud boom” before it vanished from view.
The thunderous boom that caused the ground to tremble and the birds to disperse was caught on home security footage at the exact moment.
The American Meteor Society reports that on February 15, a piece of the erupting fireball was found in Texas.
When separate meteorite fragments were found in France on February 13 and Italy on February 14, this was the third meteorite fall to be recovered in less than a week.
If anyone discovers any additional pieces of the Texas meteorite, NASA has urged them to get in touch with the Smithsonian Institution.
»NASA verifies the ‘loud boom’ and flare were caused by a meteorite weighing 1000 lbs.«