A meteor that caused an earthshaking boom over suburban Pittsburgh on New
Year's Day exploded in the atmosphere with an energy blast equivalent to an
estimated 30 tons (27,216 kilograms) of TNT, officials said.
NASA's Meteor Watch social media site said late Sunday a "reasonable
assumption" of the speed of the meteor at about 45,000 mph (72,420 kph)
would allow a "ballpark" estimate of its size as about a yard in diameter
with a mass close to half a ton (454 kilograms).
If not for the cloudy weather, NASA said, it would have been easily visible
in the daytime sky—maybe about 100 times the brightness of the full moon.
A nearby infrasound station registered the blast wave from the meteor as it
broke apart, enabling the estimates.
National Weather Service meteorologist Shannon Hefferan told the
Tribune-Review that satellite data recorded a flash over Washington County
shortly before 11:30 a.m. Saturday and officials believed it was due to a
meteor "falling through the atmosphere." Hefferan said a similar event
occurred Sept. 17 in Hardy County, West Virginia.
Residents in South Hills and other areas reported hearing a loud noise and
feeling their homes shaking and rattling. Allegheny County officials said
they had confirmed that there was no seismic activity and no thunder and
lightning.
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