A meteor traveling at 42,000mph buildings was ‘rattled’ while flying over the US earlier in the week.
Residents in Vermont were shocked when they heard, believed to be a ‘fragment of an asteroid’, passing through and breaking up miles above them.
Local reports said he traveled 33 miles through the high atmosphere, from Mount Mansfield State Forest to Beach Hill near Newport.
According to NASA, more than 100 people said they saw the ‘fireball’, hearing the loud noise as it was fired.
Read a post from the space station to Facebook: “As the object (which resembled a fragment of an asteroid) penetrated deeper into the atmosphere, pressure lifted in front of it while an empty part was formed behind it.
“About 30 miles up, the weight difference between front and back was higher than structural strength.
“The space rock shattered violently, emitting a crashing wave that built buildings and generated the sound that those near the path could hear.
“Such a pressure wave can penetrate the ground, causing small ‘tremors’ that can pick up seismic instruments in the area; the wave itself is detected by infrasound stations (low frequency sound that can travel great distances).
“For last night, we received infrasound measurements from 3 nearby stations – amplitudes and lengths of the energy signals the fireball chip at 440 pounds (200 kilograms) of TNT.
“We can combine this energy with the distance to get the mass and size of the object – 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) and 6 inches (15 centimeters) in diameter.”
He said: “Nice little fire, courtesy of Mother Nature.”
Some of those who witnessed the celestial event commented on the post to share what they saw.
One parent wrote: “My son Andrew saw this over Maine, the main small meteor and then the fireball.”
Another said: “I saw this through my car’s windshield as I was driving home from my sister’s site. I thought it was missiles.”
The third wrote: “I saw it from my window in Colchester looking east over Mt Mansfield. I heard the sonic energy than I thought was 90 seconds later but it could be off on it. It was white and broke up into a few pieces. “
While another offered a slightly more ominous grip on him, saying: “A high – speed fireball in Vermont, a week or two ago another man in Alberta.
“I wonder if there were more in other parts of the world, didn’t the film Armageddon start like that?”