A large meteor crashed through the sound barrier above northern Ohio on Tuesday morning, producing a large fireball and what local residents described as an extremely loud “boom.”
According to various eyewitness reports, the meteor’s bright streak through the morning sky was visible across a wide area. A National Weather Service meteorologist in Pennsylvania, Jared Rackley, captured video of the meteor passing through the atmosphere and creating a large fireball. So far, there have been no reports of impacts on the ground.
The precise location of the fireball was pinpointed by a near-infrared optical detector on a geostationary satellite at 9:01 am ET (13:01 UTC). This “geostationary lightning mapper” revealed that the meteor traversed through the atmosphere in northern Ohio, just west of Cleveland, and over Lake Erie.
That’s quite an incredible sight! It’s amazing how such natural events can capture our attention and spark wonder. I hope everyone got a chance to witness it.