Days after a spectacular fireball lit up the skies over Mississippi, the magnitude of the event continues to awe residents across three states where the glow could be seen. The bright meteor left behind rocky fragments that scientists have recovered, while meteorite hunters begin to sift through the terrain in hopes of a payoff. NASA has confirmed that this is among the largest fireballs observed in the United States this century.
The incident happened around eight in the morning on the 27th when a massive meteor entered the atmosphere at extremely high speed, shattering as it descended. The fragments scattered over a wide area as the bolide broke apart on the way down.
“This is one of the most memorable events of its kind I’ve ever witnessed,” remarked Bill Cooke, head of NASA’s Meteoroid Office in Huntsville, Alabama.
The object disintegrated at an altitude of about 55 kilometers in a swampy region north of Concordia Parish, Louisiana. A witness told the Vicksburg Post that a loud bang accompanied the sighting, followed by an orange fireball the size of a basketball, with a white tail streaming behind it, traveling west toward the Mississippi River.
NASA noted that at peak brightness the fireball’s energy exceeded the intensity of ten full moons. The breakup generated shock waves that rolled through the ground, causing vibrations in buildings and homes. NASA’s Meteoroid Office estimates the blast equaled the force of about three tons of TNT.
Bill Cooke stated that the meteorite measured roughly one foot in diameter (about 30 centimeters) and could rank among the five largest fireballs observed since the 19th century.
Since the event, extensive searches have focused on the area near the fragmentation point for scientific and potential commercial reasons. Cooke noted that depending on the meteorite type, fragments could fetch around three dollars per gram.
Researchers have located a substantial number of fragments, investigating them to determine the meteor’s structure and origin within the Solar System.
The city of Natchez along the Mississippi coast appears to be a primary site for the recovered debris.
Such astronomical displays happen with some regularity around the world, but not all reach brightness comparable to ten full moons, and not all leave recoverable remnants on land.
……