Asteroid explosion lights up early-morning sky over Arizona

[inanna]

Source: CBC

Posted: Jun 03, 2016 1:01 PM ET

Fireball was 10 times brighter than the full moon

An overnight asteroid explosion over Arizona lit up the sky so brightly that it appeared as if it were daylight for a short time.

Videos show the sky temporarily illuminated by a blast of light just before 4 a.m. MT Thursday. The light from the explosion was 10 times the brighter than a full moon, according to SpaceWeatherNews.

NASA cameras are finding it difficult to collect data because their cameras were "almost completely saturated by the bright event," according to Bill Cooke from NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office.

<snip>

"There are no reports of any damage or injuries — just a lot of light and few sonic booms," said Cooke.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/asteroid-explosion-arizona-1.3614661?cmp=rss

[PJMcK]

1. Cool video

Thans for posting it, Inanna.

It would look pretty scary if you saw that coming in!

[inanna]

3. Sonic booms.

Never heard one.

Not sure I want to!

[modrepub]

5. You probably experienced a sonic boom

If you've heard a whip crack or been to a fireworks show you've experienced a sonic boom, which happens when an object's speed exceeds the speed of sound. Those white bursting booming fireworks are just sonic booms from the explosion; if you're close enough you can actually feel the compression wave hit you.

[yuiyoshida]

11. Yup

[leftynyc]

2. That looked very cool

I'm always surprised people don't drive off the road when they see that coming at them.

[Throckmorton]

15. In 1971 in Wethersfield CT a meteorite hit a home.

A truck driver on I-91 passing through Wethersfield Connecticut at the time is thought to have swerved to avoid it, thinking it was coming straight at him. He was killed in the crash.

This meteorite hit a home in Wethersfield, and logged in the ceiling. It weighted about a pound as I recall, and was sold to the Smithsonian.

In 1982, another home in Wethersfield was also hit by a Meteorite, that one is in Yale's Peabody Muesum.

I was a kid of 9 when the first one hit, and still remember the Hartford Courant Article on it.

[azmom]

4. So that's what that was. Cool. Nt

[saidsimplesimon]

6. It was awesome.

Thankfully, meteors are something to observe, using critical thinking. We humans will someday join the rocks of history.

[NBachers]

7. Pretty big show for a meteor one to two meters in diameter.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. Wait till you see one the size of a house.

[elljay]

12. Won't be around afterwards to report on it! Nt

[saidsimplesimon]

9. Awesome ianna

Thank the randomness of our universe. AZ already has Meteor Crater.

[brooklynite]

10. That's what they WANTED you to think...

[greendog]

13. I saw it in Barstow, CA.

Unfortunately, my dash-cam wasn't working at the time.

[Dont call me Shirley]

14. Was visible in New Mexico.

[ThoughtCriminal]

16. Slept through it

Despite that, according to estimates, the path was just a few miles from my bed.

Can't remember what I was dreaming, but I hope it was worth it.

[Archae]

17. Chemtrails!

http://i.cbc.ca/1.3614743.1464968404!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/original_620/arizona-asteroid.jpg