Friday, March 28, 2003

brilliant fireball streaked across the sky and exploded Space Weather news for March 27, 2003 http://www.spaceweather.com Sky watchers in several US states were startled around midnight on March 27th when a brilliant fireball streaked across the sky and exploded. It was a small (perhaps less than a few meters wide) rocky asteroid with a mass of about 10 metric tons. Some 500 fragments scattered over a 10-km wide zone in the suburbs south of Chicago. Meteorites struck houses, cars, roads--but no people. Such fireballs are surprisingly common: Researchers expect an asteroidal object one meter in diameter or larger to strike Earth's atmosphere about 40 times per year. Few are seen, however, because they usually appear over unpopulated areas. Visit spaceweather.com for more information. 8:08:15 PM    comment []