A meteoroid roughly 6 feet across and estimated at about 7 tons streaked across the central U.S., producing a bright fireball and a shock wave that startled residents from Maryland to Michigan. Observers reported a fast-moving streak of light followed by a loud, explosion-like boom; police radio captured calls describing the noise and, in some areas, buildings that trembled from the blast.
NASA researcher Bill Cooke, who monitors incoming meteoroids, said the object was traveling around 45,000 miles per hour and was too small to be tracked before it hit the atmosphere. As the rock plunged into denser air, intense pressure caused it to explode in a shock wave over Medina County, Ohio — the airburst that generated the sonic boom people saw and felt.
Most of these fireballs burn up before reaching the ground, and Cooke said while the vast majority vaporize, a few tiny fragments may have survived to fall to Earth. Events of this size are relatively common on a continental scale, flashing across North America about once a month, but only a small fraction produce recoverable fragments or powerful airbursts.
Scientists note such meteoroids can come from small asteroids moving inward from the asteroid belt or from pieces broken off larger bodies; pinpointing an object’s origin usually requires recovered material for laboratory analysis. In the meantime, videos and eyewitness accounts of the streaking light and ensuing boom are being collected.
Meteor experts continue to monitor reports and are looking for any fragments that might be recovered to help characterize the object and learn more about its makeup and origin.