A massive meteor lit up the skies over the US Midwest on Tuesday morning, triggering panic among residents after it exploded mid-air with a loud boom. The incident occurred at a time of heightened tensions involving the United States and Iran, prompting fears of a possible attack.
According to NASA, the meteor, estimated to weigh nearly seven tons, entered Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of around 72,000 km/h before disintegrating high above Ohio. The explosion released energy equivalent to nearly 250 tons of TNT.
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The meteor was seen streaking across the skies over Cleveland at an extremely high speed, before breaking apart in a thunderous blast that startled residents across the region. Many people initially feared it was an explosion linked to the ongoing geopolitical tensions. The incident took place around 9:00 am, when eyewitnesses reported a bright flash followed by a loud boom. The sudden explosion led to widespread speculation, with some fearing sabotage or a military strike.
People in several states away reported seeing the bright fireball even though it was 9 am. The American Meteor Society said it received reports from Wisconsin to Maryland. NASA later confirmed that it was a meteor nearly 6 feet (1.83 meters) in diameter.
Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office, said that the meteor was first sighted at an altitude of about 80 km (50 miles) above Lorain, near Lake Erie. It traveled a distance of 55 km in a southeasterly direction before disintegrating with an explosive blast over Valley City.
Unleashed energy of 250 tonsย of TNT
Upon breaking apart, it unleashed an energy of 250 tons of TNT, triggering a massive explosion and noticeable tremors. Had such a blast occurred at ground level, it could have caused widespread devastation over a large area.
Staff at the National Weather Service in Cleveland also heard it and felt the vibrations. They had no early reports of any debris being found. “There could be some small fragments, but a lot of it would have burned up in the atmosphere,” NWS meteorologist Brian Mitchell said.
Meteors typically fall somewhere in the US about once a day, while smaller pieces of space dust might fall 10 times an hour, astronomer Carl Hergenrother said. Scientists track meteors through a network of special cameras that help capture the night sky, but more members of the public are catching them on cellphones and security cameras of their own.
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