Tellus Science Museum astronomer discusses meteorite landing in metro Atlanta
An afternoon surprise landing of a meteorite in the metro Atlanta caused a buzz across the region.
To learn more about the possible space rock that flared through the sky and broke apart, Channel 2's Linda Stouffer spoke to an astronomer from the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville.
Video from the astronomical event shows what looks like a fireball falling trailed by a white tail of smoke.
Channel 2 Action News spoke with Karisa Zdanky, an astronomer at the Tellus Science museum, who said the meteorite was probably made of rock and metal, and may even be connected to an unusual meteor shower.
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'My best assumption is that it is part of the daytime shower called the Beta Taurids. It's not one that is talked about particularly often because it does peak during the day,' Zdanky said, adding that 'it does make sense that a particularly spectacular meteor coming in contact would be from that one.'
While meteorites can cause damage, it's not usually what happens, mainly due to their size when they make it through the atmosphere.
'Usually they're small enough that they either burn up entirely in the atmosphere or when they land it's just a tiny piece that doesn't really do anything,' Zdanky said. 'But occasionally it is big enough that it can damage property.'
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'It was really, really scary': People across metro in shock as fireball falls from the sky
'Fireball' in the sky seen across metro Atlanta
What did you see falling through the sky? A meteor or meteorite?
That's what may have happened in Henry County, where emergency management officials told Channel 2's Courtney Francisco shared photos online that show the damage one meteorite did when it hit a man's roof.
'A small, maybe quarter-of-an-inch hole that came through where the sheetrock was penetrated,' Henry County Emergency Management Director Ryan Morrison said. 'The resident was in awe of what happened.'
Across the metro Atlanta area, residents reported sightings of a fireball and feeling a lot of vibration when the meteor was still in the sky.
According to the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, a meteorite is debris from a comet, asteroid or meteoroid that starts off in outer space before landing on Earth.
When the debris enters the planet's atmosphere, friction, pressure and chemical interactions make it heat up and radiate energy, which is what forms the fireball.
As for the meteorite on Thursday, NASA confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that the meteor was first seen 48 miles above Oxford, Ga. traveling southwest at 30,000 miles per hour, falling around 12:25 p.m.
The object disintegrated 27 miles above West Forest, Ga., which the administration said unleased energy equal to roughly 20 tons of TNT, which is what created the booms many in the metro area heard in the afternoon.
NASA said the actual asteroidal fragment weighed more than a ton and was three feet wide as it entered the atmosphere.
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