ALCORN COUNTY, Miss — It is not very often that we get to see a fireball in the Mid-South. On Thursday, the meteor fell over Kentucky around 10 p.m.
If you are wondering what a fireball is, it is just a fancy term for a very bright meteor. They are generally brighter than magnitude -4, which is about the same magnitude of Venus. They can be seen in the morning or evening sky.
According to NASA Meteor Watch, over 200 people saw the rare occurrence. So far, reports have come in from Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
NASA says that the meteor first became visible at an altitude of 53 miles above the Kentucky town of Clementsville. The object managed to travel 30 miles before disintegrating 30 miles above the small town of Exie.
Some witnesses even reported that there was a sound coming from the fireball. NASA says that was caused by the breakup of the fireball. It unleashed an energy of about 10 tons of TNT, which generated a pressure wave that traveled to the ground.
The data indicates that the fireball was produced by a meteoroid about 20 inches in diameter, weighing roughly 400 pounds. NASA is working to find out if this event produced meteorites on the ground.
Click here to see the quick video of the sky in Alcorn, County.
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