A 1,000lbs meteoroid likely exploded in the skies above Texas scattering fragments over the ground on Wednesday afternoon, confirmed Nasa.
The meteorite had a diameter of 2ft and its destruction was felt near McAllen, Texas, in the state’s southern area, as residents reported loud noises in the area.
“Nasa experts believe the object was a meteoroid about two feet in diameter weighing about 1,000 pounds,” the agency said in a statement. “The angle and speed of entry, along with signatures in weather radar imagery, are consistent with other naturally occurring meteorite falls.”
The National Weather Service Brownsville, Texas tweeted that its satellite system, used to track lightening strikes, also detected the meteoroid.
There's been reports of a possible meteorite this evening west of McAllen. One of the satellite tools we use is the Geostationary Lightning Mapper & it measures lightning as observed from space. GLM detected a signal at 523 PM with no storms around. No official confirmation yet. pic.twitter.com/1NKRZTZU9C
— NWS Brownsville (@NWSBrownsville) February 16, 2023
It is unlikely that the meteoroid hit the ground directly, as no impact site has been found.
Several concerned residents were panicked about the since-confirmed meteoroid, with some assuming it was an earthquake, reported authorities.
Mission police chief Cesar Torres told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth that local 911 dispatches received multiple calls from residents about loud booms and a possible “explosion” that shook their homes.
Residents in Hidalgo County reported hearing a boom that sounded like thunder and reported seeing the meteoroid, said Hidalgo County sheriff Eddie Guerra said during a news conference, reported CNN.
Guerra noted that he received a report from the FBI that two pilots flying near Houston had apparently also seen the meteoroid, and wanted to diffuse fears from residents that the loud noises were attributed to recent incidents of US officials shooting down foreign objects in US airspace.
“Obviously with all these incidents close, you can imagine what our constituents’ and our citizens’ fears were,” said Guerra said.
US representative Monica De La Cruz, who represents the area impacted by the meteoroid, said on Wednesday that officials were still working to understand if the space object hit the ground.
“We have meteorites that have hit all over,” said De La Cruz to NBC. “Nasa scientists estimate that every single day our planet is hit by over 100 tons of dust and particles from space. So again, while this is not a normal situation here in the Rio Grande Valley, it does occur.”
