The Doctor
28th March 2003, 01:05 AM
:) 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. :nod: :cow:
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. :nod: :cow: