A brilliant fireball streaked across the night sky over Kentucky, captivating onlookers across 13 American states. The event, which occurred at 9:45 PM on Thursday, sparked over 200 reports from people in states such as Ohio, the Carolinas, and Tennessee, according to NASA’s Meteor Watch program.
The fireball, described as “very bright,” was identified as a meteor that disintegrated approximately 30 miles above Exie, Kentucky, near Bowling Green. The meteor’s breakup released an energy equivalent to 10 tons of TNT, generating a pressure wave that many across the region heard as it reached the ground.
“This wave is responsible for the noises heard by some eyewitnesses,” NASA explained.
The meteor, estimated to be around 20 inches in diameter and weighing 400 pounds, traveled at a staggering speed of 51,000 mph. This meteoroid created a spectacle that was visible even from distant locations, such as Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.
The event underscores the rarity and excitement of such occurrences, as meteors of this size and brightness are not commonly observed. NASA continues to monitor and investigate such phenomena to better understand the risks and dynamics associated with meteoroids entering Earth’s atmosphere.
