The bright fireball illuminated the sky over the Great Lakes and was visible hundreds of kilometers from the impact site, reports Focus.
A green fireball exploded over the Great Lakes in Michigan (USA). This term refers to very bright meteors, which are cosmic stones that have entered Earth's atmosphere. It is believed that this fireball was a fragment of a comet that exploded in the atmosphere and burned up, according to Live Science.
On November 23, dozens of witnesses reported seeing a meteor streaking across the sky before exploding into a green "fireball." Cameras captured the object's rapid flight and its descent. This fireball was observed in the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana, as well as up to 550 kilometers away from the incident.
NASA scientists tracked the meteor's flight path using video recordings and other data. The object was spotted at an altitude of about 100 km over the Great Lakes, then flew at a speed of 160,000 km/h and broke apart at an altitude of 74 km.
Scientists believe that this fireball is not part of the Leonid meteor shower, which Earth passes through from November 6 to 30. Meteors from this shower travel at very high speeds, entering Earth's atmosphere at speeds of up to 260,000 km/h. Such speeds often result in bright fireballs.
NASA scientists think that this object is a small fragment of a comet. Most comets and meteors can be seen with the naked eye, but good equipment is required for photographing them.
Fireballs sometimes appear green due to a high concentration of metals such as nickel, while faster meteors usually exhibit brighter colors. For example, sodium gives fireballs a bright yellow color, while magnesium imparts a blue-white hue.
Similar green colors have been observed in other fireballs. For instance, in July 2022, a green fireball was spotted over New Zealand, and in November 2022, another one fell into Lake Ontario. The latter became the smallest asteroid ever recorded in space, with a diameter of only 40–60 centimeters.
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