That loud boom over the Southeast? It was likely a fireball
Thursday's loud, rolling rumble — and, for some, a sudden flash and white streak in the sky — might have been a fireball from a meteor passing over metro Atlanta.
Why it matters: More than 100 people from Georgia and parts of South Carolina and Florida reported to the American Meteor Society a potential fireball around 12:30pm.
Driving the news: Mike Hankey, operations manager at the American Meteor Society (AMS), told Axios that metro Atlantans likely experienced a "daytime fireball" that caused a sonic boom.
"This is usually indicative of a meteorite dropping a fireball, but not always," Hankey said.
AMS is NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies' recommended organization for reporting fireballs.
Catch up quick: Around 12:30pm on Thursday, people using social media across metro Atlanta reported what felt and sounded like a repeat of May's earthquake in Tennessee, felt as far south as Middle Georgia.
However, the U.S. Geological Survey's earthquake monitor showed no nearby seismic activity.
Yes, but: According to atmospheric scientist Matthew Cappucci, what appeared to be a meteor passed over Atlanta's east side, exploded and possibly scattered fragments in South Carolina.
WSB-TV chief meteorologist Brad Nitz posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the spectacle was probably "rock, dust, or debris from a comet's trail that enters the [Earth's] atmosphere."
"The friction creates heat and we can see it burn up in the sky."
Stunning stat: Meteor events occur probably once a week, Hankey said. But meteor events on Thursday's scale are rare, likely happening 10 to 20 times a year globally.
"For the U.S., we might get three to five like this each year."
The intrigue: Roughly 10 meteorites are recovered every year, but most go unfound.
By the numbers: People have found 28 "unique and classified" meteorites in Georgia, according to Hankey.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Invasive fish that can survive out of water found in Canada, alarming scientists
An invasive species of fish that can live out of water for short periods of time and can carry dangerous pathogens has been found in Eastern Canada, alarming experts. The Oriental Weatherfish was discovered in a Nova Scotia waterway and confirmed by the Department of Oceans Canada last month. The Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council said in a May 16 statement that the discovery was thanks to a person who spotted the eel-like fish and reported it to authorities. The council said this is the first time the invasive species has been seen in the Maritimes region − which includes Canada's New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. More: 'Put them on the menu': Americans should eat more of these invasive animals, officials say "Oriental Weatherfish pose a significant threat when introduced to native ecosystems," the council said in its social media post. "They reduce aquatic insect biodiversity, compete with native fish species for food and spawning habitat, and are known to carry parasites and pathogens that are harmful to both wildlife and humans." The fish is a common aquarium species, and experts believe it was introduced into the ecosystem when it was illegally released into the wild. Officials told CBC that a single egg-bearing fish was found in the Morgan Falls fishway of LeHave River near New Germany, a village in Nova Scotia. More: Fire ants evolve into a fearsome hybrid: 'Anything can really happen' Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, also called a pond loach, averages 3 to 7 inches in length but has been measured up to 11 inches long, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. They're native to Eastern Asia, found from Siberia to northern Vietnam, including Japan, and can survive for short periods of time without water. The fish uses its intestine as an accessory respiratory organ to breathe air, enabling it to live in oxygen-poor waters and bury itself in muddy or silty environments to survive long droughts. Scientists who have studied the species found it can "withstand desiccation and starvation for more than 81 days," USGS says, making it very tolerant to extreme conditions. Though native to Asia, the invasive species has been found in over a dozen states across the U.S., including Hawaii. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@ and on X @KathrynPlmr.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
What is a fireball, and how often does rare event occur? See known SC meteorites
The American Meteor Society received over 160 reports in the Southeast − including South Carolina and Georgia − of a fiery object streaking through the skies on June 26. The object, identified later on as a fireball, "exploded 27 miles above West Forest, Georgia, unleashing an energy of about 20 tons of TNT," according to CBS News. Bill Cooke, a lead at NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, confirmed the fireball, observed before 12:30 p.m., was 3 feet in diameter, weighing more than a ton. No injuries have been reported due to the fireball, although a home in Henry County, Georgia, was struck by debris suspected to be related to the meteor. Here's the difference between a fireball and meteor. Per FossilEra, a meteor is often called a "shooting star" or "falling star" since they appear as a streak of light, produced when a meteoroid enters Earth's atmosphere and vaporizes due to the intense heat caused by friction with air. A meteor is a visible atmospheric phenomenon that results from the meteor's swift entry and disintegration, meaning it is not a physical object. A fireball is a meteor that is significantly brighter than normal meteors, outshining planet Venus. Ground-level rumbles known as sonic booms occur when a fireball explodes, according to EBSCO. Only a small number of meteors that enter the Earth's atmosphere are classified as fireballs. Each day, several thousand meteors of fireball magnitude occur in the Earth's atmosphere, and the majority of them are difficult to observe since they take place over the oceans and uninhabited regions, with many masked by daylight, per the American Meteor Society. Fireballs that occur at night have less of a chance of being seen because there aren't as many people outside to notice them. "Additionally, the brighter the fireball, the more rare is the event. As a general thumb rule, there are only about 1/3 as many fireballs present for each successfully brighter magnitude class, following an exponential decrease." said the American Meteor Society. "Experienced observers can expect to see only about 1 fireball of magnitude -6 or better for every 200 hours of meteor observing, while a fireball magnitude -4 can be expected about once every 20 hours or so." Meteorites are fragments of space rocks like asteroids or comets that survive passing through Earth's atmosphere, landing on the surface. Before entering the atmosphere, they are called meteoroids, and can vary in size from tiny dust grains to large asteroids. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources listed the following records regarding meteorite occurrence within the state on their website: 1843: Achondrite, Bishopville 1844: Octahedrite, Ruff's Mountain, Newberry County 1849: Ataxite, Chesterville 1857: Octahedrite, Laurens County 1880: Octahedrite, Lexington County 1933: Chondrite, Cherokee Springs The Greenville News reached out to NASA for a comment for this story, but did not receive a response. Nina Tran covers trending topics for The Greenville News. Reach her via email at ntran@ This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Fireball and meteor: The difference, how to tell them apart
UPI
a day ago
- UPI
July offers rare meteor shower combo, stunning views of the Milky Way
In this 30 second exposure, a meteor streaks across the sky during the annual Perseid meteor shower (2021) as seen in Spruce Knob, W.V. During summer, the nighttime side of Earth faces the galactic core, making the Milky Way more vivid than at any other time of year. File NASA Photo by Bill Ingalls | License Photo July will kick off with colorful flashes of light during Independence Day celebrations across the United States, but the cosmos has a light show of its own in store for stargazers later in the month, along with a few other celestial sights. From a weather-inspired full moon to a pair of meteor showers, here are the top astronomy events to mark on your calendar: Thunder Moon: July 10 The first full moon of astronomical summer will rise on Thursday, July 10. Known as the Thunder Moon, this lunar event will be visible across much of the world. The name "Thunder Moon" comes from the frequent thunderstorms that rumble across North America in July. It's also called the Buck Moon, as deer antlers are growing rapidly ahead of the autumn rut. Look for the full moon rising in the southeastern sky around nightfall. It will shine brightly all night before setting in the southwest near daybreak. Milky Way: Late July July has some of the shortest nights of the entire year north of the equator, but while this can make for poor stargazing conditions, skywatchers look forward to the summer nights to see amazing views of the Milky Way. During summer, the nighttime side of Earth faces the galactic core, making the Milky Way more vivid than at any other time of year. Plan to stargaze around the new moon on July 24 and head to a dark location far from city lights, as light pollution can easily wash out the galaxy's faint glow. July 29-30: 2 meteor showers in 1 night An astronomical doubleheader will light up the sky on the night of Tuesday, July 29, into the early morning of Wednesday, July 30, as two meteor showers peak at the same time: the Southern Delta Aquariids and Alpha Capricornids, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS). The two will combine for 20-30 meteors per hour, including the chance for some incredibly bright meteors known as fireballs. While July 29-30 is expected to be the best night, the AMS says both showers will be active for around a week, making any night during the end of July and start of August a good time to step outside and look for shooting stars.
