Texas residents were faced with a shocking and disturbing surprise when a sky blast rocked their homes. It was confirmed, later on, that this was due to a massive meteor burst in the sky.
Sky Blast Over Texas Skies
According to the Express, police chief Jonathan Flores mentioned that this explosion was felt under his jurisdiction. However, during this time, the cause behind such an explosion was still a cause of confusion. He mentioned that he did not know that the event was quite widespread and that several cities received calls about it.
Houston Air Traffic Control also received two alerts from meteor sighting aircrafts from McAllen, according to Eddie Guerra, the Hidalgo County Sheriff.
This sky blast made some Texas residents panic. They may have gotten paranoid due to the recent news of mysterious objects flying over US territories in the past weeks.
It was later confirmed through an analysis of initial information from various sources that the object behind the sky blast was a meteorite.
Meteor Burst
Futurism reports that the rock blazed over McAllen around 6 p.m. last Wednesday. It routed through the Texas atmosphere as a great ball of fire that was picked up by the National Weather Service satellites.
The Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science department of NASA projects that the meteor had a weight of around a thousand pounds. It may have also had a diameter of two feet. The meteor's entry speed, angle, and weather radar imagery hallmarks align with other meteor falls.
There were no impacts observed on the site. This indicates that the meteorite may not have been intact when it fell onto the ground. However, there were small chunks of the rock that did reach the earth's surface.
How Often Do Meteors Hit Earth?
While this event may have come as a shocker to many Texas residents, it is actually not that uncommon. Meteors are known to hit the earth's surface at times.
As per Live Science, scientists think that there are less than ten thousand meteors that hit the land or waters of the earth. As they blaze through the earth's atmosphere, they burn up due to air friction and result in light streaks across the atmosphere. The falling and burning rocks are also called meteors while extremely bright meteors are called fireballs.
Astronomer Gonzalo Tancredi from the University of the Republic conducted a study to examine the frequencies of such meteor falls. He specifically estimated that around 6,100 meteorites fall over earth each year, while 1,800 fall on land.
In light of the recent sky blast that took over Texas skies, such events are believed by NASA and local officials to be a vital reminder of the importance of monitoring meteorites and spreading awareness to others. It is important to increase protection and understanding of the earth.
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