A meteor was brightly lit through the night sky in the U.S. state of Vermont on Sunday, March 7. The meteor created a huge fireball and it resembled a massive display of light over Vermont’s skies. Read on to find out more.
Meteor Over Vermont was seen on Sunday, March 7th
As reported by livescience.com, the meteor triggered a huge vibration as it raced through the Earth’s atmosphere, firing up in the process and making a huge fireball that ended in fras fras. The energy meteor allowed the equivalent of blowing up 440 pounds or 200 kilograms of TNT. NASA’s meteor watch said the meteor was about 10 pounds or 4.5 kilograms in mass and about 6 inches or 15 centimeters in diameter.
As reported by NASA, the meteor broke through the atmosphere at a speed of about 42,000 miles per hour (68,000 kilometers per hour). The meteor looked like a large bright fireball and appeared over northern Vermont at 5:38 pm EST. A local news station based in Vermont received calls where reporters said they heard a loud bang and a physical earthquake as the meteor swept over their areas.
NASA estimates are based on eyewitness accounts that the meteor appeared 52 miles or 84 kilometers over Mount Mansfield State, east of Burlington. The meteor would then travel through space for 33 miles (53 km) northeast, heading toward the Canadian border. The meteor disappeared 33 miles (53 km) overland south of Newport. According to NASA the meteor increased significantly and the vibration caused by the meteor rupture due to atmospheric pressure. As the 4.5 kg exploded through the atmosphere at a very high speed, pressure was lifted in front of the space rock and empty behind it, resulting in the meteor being torn to pieces and causing a meteor shower. .
What are meteor displays and how do they cause them?
Meteor showers occur when the Earth in its orbit passes through debris left over from the broken up comets. While the orbit of the earth around the sun if it is largely fixed, comets have an elliptical orbit and often come very close to the orbit of the earth or into the atmosphere. The interior of a comet is made up of frozen material and bonded rocks. When comets enter the earth ‘s atmosphere they break up into tiny particles due to frost and heat which is what causes the meteor display to be bright. The debris completely burns up into the atmosphere if it is small or lies on the surface of the Earth if the size of the meteor is large enough.