MEDINA COUNTY, Ohio (WAFB) – A bright daylight fireball was observed across a dozen states and parts of Canada at 8:57 a.m. EDT Monday, March 17, according to NASA and the American Meteor Society.
Eyewitnesses in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the District of Columbia and the Canadian province of Ontario filed reports with the American Meteor Society. The meteor was also detected by the Geostationary Lightning Mapper on the GOES satellite and several cameras in the region.
The GOES-19 geostationary lightning mapper (GLM) captured a flash over Lake Erie from a bright meteor (fireball) on Tuesday morning.(WAFB)Where the fireball began — and ended
NASA said analysis of all available data places first visibility of the meteor at an altitude of 50 miles above Lake Erie, off the beaches of Lorain in northern Ohio. The fireball was caused by a small asteroid nearly 6 feet in diameter and weighing approximately 7 tons.
People in several states reported seeing a bright meteor (fireball) Tuesday morning.(AMS Meteors)
Moving east of south at 40,000 mph, the asteroid traveled more than 34 miles through the upper atmosphere before fragmenting 30 miles above Valley City, north of Medina. The fragments continued south, producing meteorites in the vicinity of Medina County, Ohio.
Boom, pressure wave reported
When the asteroid fragmented, it unleashed energy equivalent to 250 tons of TNT, NASA said. The resulting pressure wave propagated to the ground, causing the booms and explosive noises heard by many witnesses. NASA said the event may have also shaken houses north of Medina.
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