NASA has confirmed a meteor explosion over the United States: the energy released was equivalent to 230 tons of TNT
NASA has confirmed that on May 30, a meteor exploded over New England, releasing energy equivalent to approximately 230 tons of TNT. The explosion was accompanied by a powerful sonic boom that was heard by residents of several U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.
According to NASA, the space object was about 1.6 meters in diameter. As it entered the atmosphere, it was traveling at a speed of approximately 67,000 kilometers per hour and disintegrated at an altitude of about 50 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.
The meteor’s debris fell in the Cape Cod area. No reports of injuries or property damage have been received, though eyewitnesses reported a loud boom and buildings shaking.
According to the agency’s estimates, the meteor’s mass was about 5.6 tons before it disintegrated. NASA notes that objects of this size are difficult to detect in advance, but they usually do not pose a serious threat, as they burn up or break apart in the atmosphere.
In contrast, near-Earth asteroids with a diameter of more than 140 meters are significantly more dangerous, as they can survive passage through the atmosphere and cause massive destruction if they strike a populated area.
Currently, NASA is tracking about 40,000 near-Earth objects, although experts estimate that several thousand more such bodies remain undetected.
Source: Live Science.
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