A suspected meteorite streaked across the US: the explosion was heard in several states
This is reported by Reuters, citing the US National Weather Service and scientists.
In the US on the morning of 17 March, residents of Ohio and Pennsylvania reported a loud explosion, a fireball and bright streaks in the sky. The phenomenon was also seen in Virginia and Canada, and is provisionally linked to a meteor that entered the Earth’s atmosphere.
According to Reuters, alarmed members of the public called 911, and local emergency services contacted meteorologists at around 9:00 am Eastern Time to ask about the nature of the explosion.
The US National Weather Service stated that it had received reports from western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio of a loud boom and a fireball in the sky. Satellite data suggests that it was “likely a meteor entering the atmosphere”.
Lawrence Harvey, a research professor and curator at the Busek Meteorite Research Centre at Arizona State University, said the likely impact site was Medina – approximately 40 miles south-west of Cleveland. According to him, if meteorite hunters manage to find the fragments, they will likely be small black stones.
The scientist also explained that a loud explosion may have been heard when the space object broke the sound barrier. He estimated that the object’s speed could have ranged from 25,000 to 160,000 miles per hour.
Separately, it is reported that the American Meteor Society has received over 100 reports of sightings of this fireball. Meanwhile, other media outlets, citing NASA, reported that the object entered the atmosphere over northern Ohio, broke up near Velie City, and there is as yet no confirmed discovery of debris on the ground.
Thus, at this stage, we are not talking about a confirmed fall of a large meteorite, but rather a probable meteor or meteoroid that entered the atmosphere, caused a shockwave and may have left small fragments on the ground.
