Port Gibson, miss. (AP) – Scientists confirmed Thursday that a strong boom preceded a flaming fireball observed in three southern states.
More than 30 people in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi said they saw a particularly bright meteor in the sky at 8am Wednesday after hearing a loud boom in Cleiborn County, Mississippi and surrounding areas. Reported by NASA. It was first seen 54 miles (87 kilometers) above the Mississippi River near Alcorn, Mississippi, officials said.
“This is one of the most exciting events I’ve seen in Geostationary Lightning Map (GLM) data,” said Bill Cook, head of NASA’s office for the meteorological atmosphere at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
The object, called a ball of fire by scientists, is moving southwest at a speed of 55,000 miles per hour (88,500 kilometers per hour), being destroyed as it penetrates deeper into the Earth’s atmosphere. It is scattered at an altitude of approximately 34 miles (55 kilometers) north of the swamp area in Louisiana, north of the parish community of Concordia in Menorca.
A witness told the Vicksburg Post. He heard a loud noise, then looked up and saw an “orange ball of fire the size of a basketball with a white tail on the back” heading west toward the Mississippi River.
The Claiborne County Emergency Management Agency posted a statement on Facebook confirming the information, stating that the Grand Gulf nuclear power plant was not involved.
“Citizens of Klaiborne County, local officials are aware of the loud noise being heard across the country,” the post read. “The Grand Gulf nuclear power plant was not involved in the accident and the area is safe. “The country is not in danger and no action can be taken”.
NASA said the fragmentation of the fireball generated enough energy to create shock waves that spread across the ground, generating booms and vibrations felt by people living in the area.
According to NASA, the fireball at its apex is 10 times brighter than the full moon. “I was surprised at how clear the witness information we received in the sky,” Cook said. “More people have heard than seen.”
Source: Huffpost
