Half a ton of meteorite exploded in the American sky on New Year’s

According to NASA, a meteorite that caused a massive explosion in western Pennsylvania on the first day of this year exploded in the atmosphere with a force equivalent to 30 tons of TNT.

These sounds were heard a few minutes before 11:30 am (local time) last Saturday. If the sky had not been cloudy, the meteorite would have been easily visible as it exploded, NASA’s meteorite tracking page has posted on Facebook. NASA estimates that the brightness of the explosion would have been equal to 100 times that of the full moon.

The nearby Infrasound Station recorded the wave of the meteorite explosion, which allowed NASA to estimate the scattered energy.

“If we make a reasonable assumption about the speed of the meteor (about 45,000 miles per second) [72,4 mil quilômetros por hora]), We can estimate the size of the object on one side [pouco menos de um metro] Diameter, weighs half a ton, ”NASA said.

Allegheny County, which includes the city of Bistberg, received 911 complaints Saturday in the South Hills suburb. Earthquake, thunder and lightning were initially ruled out as possible causes.

A sound surge similar to the sound of an explosion or thunder occurs when an object (such as a meteor or supersonic plane) moves faster than the speed of sound in the atmosphere.

NASA reports that air reacts like a liquid to supersonic objects. As these materials pass through the air, the molecules are pushed to the side with great force, creating a shock wave, which is heard as a sonic boom.