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One definition describes a bolide as a fireball reaching an apparent magnitude of −4 or brighter. [11] Another definition describes a bolide as any generic large crater-forming impacting body whose composition (for example, whether it is a rocky or metallic asteroid, or an icy comet) is unknown. [12]
An Earth-grazing fireball (or Earth grazer) [2] is a fireball, a very bright meteor that enters Earth’s atmosphere and leaves again. Some fragments may impact Earth as meteorites, if the meteor starts to break up or explodes in mid-air. These phenomena are then called Earth-grazing meteor processions and bolides. [1]
A possible example is the Qingyang event of 1490, which had an unknown energy yield but was reportedly powerful enough to cause 10,000 deaths. [10] Modern researchers are sceptical about the figure, but had the Tunguska event occurred over a highly populous district, it might have caused a similar level of destruction. [ 10 ]
The asteroid is a rare example of an "imminent impactor" -- meaning it was discovered only hours before it entered our atmosphere. ... but was still enough to produce a “nice fireball in the sky ...
An American Meteor Society database compiles such reports of fireball observations. The astronomy nonprofit simply describes a fireball as a visible meteor that is unusually bright. Recounters on ...
Nearly two dozen witnesses have reported seeing a fireball over Florida’s west coast around 9 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, and some acted fast enough to get video.. The American Meteor Society says ...
It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting star; astronomers call the brightest examples "bolides". Once it settles on the larger body's surface, the meteor becomes a meteorite. Meteorites vary greatly in size. For geologists, a bolide is a meteorite large enough to create an impact crater. [2]
The streaking fireball turned out to be a meteor that was observed in 13 states in the eastern United States and in Ontario, Canada, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS), which keeps a ...