World When meteors hit with TNT-like force Recent meteor explosion over US highlights how space rocks can unleash energy# Orono (US)A meteor that exploded over the northeastern United States in May has drawn attention to the immense power carried by even relatively small space rocks entering Earth’s atmosphere.
After analysing weather satellite imagery, NASA identified the source as a meteor measuring about 1-2 metres across.
Travelling at nearly 68,000 kmph, the object plunged into Earth’s atmosphere, where friction with increasingly dense air generated extreme heat.
Days later, a 7-ton asteroid exploded over Lake Erie, releasing energy equal to 250 tons of TNT.
Measuring about 18 metres across, it exploded with a force roughly 30 times greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb, injuring nearly 1,500 people through shattered glass and shock waves.PTI
World When meteors hit with TNT-like force Recent meteor explosion over US highlights how space rocks can unleash energy
# Orono (US)
A meteor that exploded over the northeastern United States in May has drawn attention to the immense power carried by even relatively small space rocks entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Residents along the Massachusetts–New Hampshire border were startled by a loud sonic boom on May 30. After analysing weather satellite imagery, NASA identified the source as a meteor measuring about 1-2 metres across. Travelling at nearly 68,000 kmph, the object plunged into Earth’s atmosphere, where friction with increasingly dense air generated extreme heat.
At an altitude of around 60 km, the meteor broke apart in a brilliant flash. The explosion released energy equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT. Such events create sonic booms because the object travels far faster than the speed of sound, generating shock waves that can be heard over large distances. Most of the meteor vaporised, while remaining fragments fell harmlessly into Cape Cod Bay.
Astronomers say these events are more common than many people realise. Advances in technology, including dashboard cameras, security systems and doorbell cameras, now capture fleeting meteor entries that often went unnoticed in the past.
The Cape Cod event followed several notable meteor sightings earlier this year. In March, observers in Northern Europe witnessed fireballs linked to Vesta, one of the solar system’s largest asteroids. Days later, a 7-ton asteroid exploded over Lake Erie, releasing energy equal to 250 tons of TNT. Another meteor crossed Texas, with a fragment punching through a homeowner’s roof.
Scientists point to the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor over Russia as the benchmark for atmospheric impacts. Measuring about 18 metres across, it exploded with a force roughly 30 times greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb, injuring nearly 1,500 people through shattered glass and shock waves.PTI
