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MELBOURNE, Fla. – This mysterious flashing light? It turned out to be a meteor, news partner 6 Florida Today reported.
The meteor that passed through Central Florida's sky on Tuesday is a "big ball of fire" that probably exploded over the Atlantic Ocean with energy equivalent to a tenth of a kilotonne, an explosive force equal to that of 100 tons of TNT, according to the same source. a group of sky observers.
"We are still processing the data, but they were large, maybe a foot," said Dwayne Free, director of the Spalding Allsky Camera Network, which provides data for the Asteroid threat assessment project. from NASA, California.
The private group, which works as part of a joint project with the Department of Aerospace Sciences, Physics and Space Sciences of the Florida Institute of Technology, coordinates a network of 40 specialized cameras around the world to detect and track meteors, some of which are large fireballs called racing cars.
Free thinks that one that was seen Tuesday morning over the Space Coast was a fireball – a big, bright meteor.
Not unusual
He described them as "routine events" observed around the world. Larger ones like the one seen in central Florida happen at least once a month, somewhere in the world.
The fireball – also recorded by a wide-angle camera at Florida Tech – was seen around 2 am and was seen by residents of Titusville in Palm Bay.
It has also been reported in the media that the meteor, burning with a bluish and greenish glow, was seen as far away as Jacksonville.
Similar incidents involving larger meteors have been recorded in recent weeks. Large fireballs crashed in the west of Cuba, exploding with the force of a 1.4-kiloton bomb, said Free, and slammed on Venezuela, leaving behind a small fire, the media reported.
[VIDEO BELOW: Meteor caught on camera in Australia]
In 2013, a huge fireball exploded in the skies above Chelyabinsk, Russia, wounding nearly 1,000 people, smashing windows and causing minor structural collapse, according to media reports. This car, considered a unique event once in 50 years, exploded with a force of 440 kilotons, reported the experts later.
Tuesday's meteor could be seen on a surveillance video of Jacob Kelley, showing a brilliant light flaming through the dark sky, then melting black after a brilliant flash.
"It exploded and that's the reason for the bright flash presented in the video," said Free, who has been studying meteors since 1985.
Testimonials
Dustin Lightsey, a resident of Palm Bay, was driving home when he saw the fireball illuminate the night sky.
"I did not hear any noise, but I saw it on the horizon.This was a neon green fireball with blue streaks," he said. Lightsey, adding that the meteor seemed to crush nearby.
"It looked like it was in a wooded area, I went around but found nothing," he said.
The fireball was also captured by a camera that transmits data to the Spalding Allsky camera network, said Free.
Some social media residents also reported feeling or hearing a roar.
"It's possible." The flash we captured on the camera told me that there was probably a sound too, when these things explode, it's like being in a nuclear explosion. " said Free, who guessed that the fireball was rushing toward the ocean, releasing the energy of a small explosion of a tenth of a kiloton.
He also stated that the greenish color seen by the witnesses indicated that the meteor had metallic properties. Some meteorites are made up of ice blocks or other debris, experts say.
The 45th Meteorological Squadron confirmed with FLORIDA TODAY that the meteor had crossed the night sky early Tuesday. Free said its data, which is shared with organizations around the world, will be forwarded to NASA's Global Defense Office for further evaluation.
The agency, which is overseen by NASA, is responsible for monitoring potentially dangerous space objects – asteroids and comets – that could cross the Earth's orbit.
The office assesses potential threats and also works on the planning of projects that can physically redirect objects such as close encounters.
The agency will probably have more opportunities to put its theories in place, experts said. In terms of meteors like the one that appeared on Tuesday, they are seen more frequently.
"These bigger ones (meteors) seem to be happening more often lately," said Free. "But it could be because we have better coverage or maybe we detect them more often."
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