Sneaky Meteor Stats

NASA scientists have shared some intriguing details about this event:

— The meteor measured approximately 32 feet (10 meters) across.

— It had a mass of about 1,500 tons (1,360 metric tons).

— It hurtled through the atmosphere at an astonishing speed of 71,582 miles per hour (115,200 kilometers per hour).

— The explosion occurred at an altitude of 15.5 miles (25 kilometers) above the ocean.

Despite the scale of the explosion, it surprisingly went unnoticed.

How Did the World’s Telescopes Miss It?

Although this meteor was relatively small, its explosive power was significant. It escaped detection by NASA's advanced sky-monitoring systems, primarily because it was smaller than the objects they usually track. NASA focuses on celestial bodies that are at least 460 feet (140 meters) wide—large enough to cause catastrophic damage.

The remote location of the Bering Sea combined with the meteor's small size allowed it to go undetected until after it detonated. The resulting fireball was the second largest recorded in nearly three decades, surpassing the intensity of the Chelyabinsk meteor explosion from six years earlier.

Fireballs of this magnitude are estimated to impact Earth two to three times every century. To visualize the scale, think about a blast equivalent to 173 kilotons of TNT. Fortunately, no injuries occurred from this fiery incident, which made history.

Did you know about this incredible meteor explosion, or was this information new to you?

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