Vermont Meteor s Violent Explosion Causes Earth Tremors Detected by NASA
On 3/9/21 at 6:19 AM EST
The meteor that exploded over the state of Vermont on the evening of March 7 was detected by ground-based seismometers, NASA has said. The space rock violently broke apart in Earth s atmosphere around 33 miles high, causing a shockwave that could be measured and heard by instruments.
NASA revised its speed estimate on March 8 and said the meteor was traveling at around 42,000 miles per hour. This is more than 20 times faster than a rifle bullet, or 55 times faster than the speed of sound. The speed estimate was based on more than 100 eyewitness reports.
NASA says the Geminids are the Best Meteor Shower of the Year
Huntsville, AL – NASA says the Geminids are widely recognized as the best annual meteor shower a stargazer can see, occurring between December 4th to December 17th, 2020 with the best nights for viewing on December 13th and 14th.
The parent of the Geminids is 3200 Phaethon, which is arguably considered to be either an asteroid or an extinct comet. When the Earth passes through trails of dust, or meteoroids, left by 3200 Phaethon, that dust burns up in Earth’s atmosphere, creating the Geminid meteor shower.
An info graphic based on 2019’s meteor camera data for the Geminids. (NASA)
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