Earth is constantly getting bombarded by space rocks like it’s a cosmic game of dodgeball. Every day, an average of 100 tons of space debris enters our atmosphere. That’s like having a ton of bricks raining down on us every week!
But don’t worry, most of these meteorites burn up before they hit the ground, so we’re not getting pelted with space rocks on a daily basis. It’s more like a sporadic game of space dodgeball, but with much higher stakes.
Meteorite over Texas causes a ground-shaking explosion
Last week, a meteor entered the atmosphere over Texas, causing ground vibrations and a loud explosion that was heard by residents in the area. The incident was later confirmed by officials and air traffic control. The meteor was estimated to be around two feet in diameter and had a weight of about 1,000 pounds before the biggest part of it burned up in the atmosphere. NASA reported that the meteor was traveling at around 27,000 mph and generated energy equivalent to 8 tons of TNT.
Despite breaking into fragments at an altitude of 21 miles, NASA confirmed that some of the meteorites did reach the ground. Wrdw.com brings the details. The event was also detected by weather satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which detected a signal associated with the meteor.
The main difference between a meteor and a meteorite is that a meteor is a space rock that burns up as it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, while a meteorite is a space rock that survives the fiery descent and lands on the Earth’s surface. Meteors are sometimes called shooting stars or falling stars, while meteorites can range in size from tiny dust particles to huge boulders.
In the end, you should keep your head up and your eyes on the skies, because you never know when a meteorite might decide to crash your party.
