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Astronomie - NASA estimates metrics of exploding meteor that shook ground

4.01.2022

Scientists say a meteor that caused an earthshaking boom across suburban Pittsburgh on New Year’s Day exploded in the atmosphere with an energy blast equivalent to an estimated 30 tons of TNT

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PITTSBURGH -- A meteor that caused an earthshaking boom over suburban Pittsburgh on New Year’s Day exploded in the atmosphere with an energy blast equivalent to an estimated 30 tons (27,216 kilograms) of TNT, officials said.

NASA's Meteor Watch social media site said late Sunday a “reasonable assumption” of the speed of the meteor at about 45,000 mph (72,420 kph) would allow a “ballpark” estimate of its size as about a yard in diameter with a mass close to half a ton (454 kilograms).

If not for the cloudy weather, NASA said, it would have been easily visible in the daytime sky — maybe about 100 times the brightness of the full moon.

A nearby infrasound station registered the blast wave from the meteor as it broke apart, enabling the estimates.

National Weather Service meteorologist Shannon Hefferan told the Tribune-Review that satellite data recorded a flash over Washington County shortly before 11:30 a.m. Saturday and officials believed it was due to a meteor “falling through the atmosphere.” Hefferan said a similar event occurred Sept. 17 in Hardy County, West Virginia.

Residents in South Hills and other areas reported hearing a loud noise and feeling their homes shaking and rattling. Allegheny County officials said they had confirmed that there was no seismic activity and no thunder and lightning.

Quelle: abcNews

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quivalent to '30 tons of TNT': Meteor explodes in Pennsylvania on New Year's Day

On New Year's Day, people in southwestern Pennsylvania heard an explosion around 11:20 a.m. EST.

An initial tweet by the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said the most likely explanation was  a "meteor explosion."

People all over Pittsburgh took to social media, saying the boom was incredibly loud and shook their house. Others posted footage capturing the crackling sounds of the explosion.

The National Weather Service Pittsburgh noticed a flash captured by its satellite's Geostationary Lightning Mapper in neighboring Washington County.

"This flash does not appear to be connected to any lightning activity in the area. One possible explanation is that a meteor exploded at some level above the ground," the weather service said in a post on Facebook.

On Monday, meteorologist Myranda Fullerton of National Weather Service Pittsburgh confirmed with USA TODAY that the flash was indeed a meteor, according to NASA.

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A Facebook post from NASA Meteor Watch said that a "nearby infrasound station registered the blast wave from the meteor as it broke apart."

The energy of the explosion was equivalent to "30 tons of TNT" and the meteor was likely about a yard in diameter with a mass of close to half a ton, according to estimates by NASA.

If it wasn't so cloudy, the meteor would have been blindingly bright, with crude estimates from NASA indicating that the meteor was 100 times the brightness of the full moon.

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