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A suspected asteroid crossed the northern Vermont sky on Sunday, moving so fast and creating so much force that it rocked buildings on the ground, according to NASA.
The “fireball” was spotted by hundreds of sky watchers around 5:38 p.m., NASA said on Facebook. It first appeared 52 miles above the Mount Mansfield State Forest before traversing 33 miles through the upper atmosphere and burning 33 miles above Orleans County.
Commentators on NASA’s Facebook posts – from Vermont, New Hampshire and the Canadian side of the border in Quebec – described hearing a “rumble” or “boom” as the fireball shot into the sky. sky. Some even said their homes shook during the incident.
The probable asteroid fragment traveled at 42,000 miles per hour and began to shatter when the pressure difference created by the vacuum behind the speeding object “exceeded its structural strength,” NASA said, causing a sound wave detected by sensitive seismometers in the area.
Using the infrasound measurements created by these seismic instruments, NASA calculated the size of the object to be 10 pounds and six inches in diameter.
“The space rock violently fragmented, producing a pressure wave that shook the buildings and generated the sound heard by those who were near the path,” NASA said.
“A nice little fireworks display, courtesy of Mother Nature.”
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