Context:
A meteor recently exploded over northeastern United States, producing loud booming sounds and releasing energy equivalent to hundreds of tonnes of TNT. Such exceptionally bright meteors that break apart or explode in the atmosphere are called bolides.
Explanation:
- Meteoroids are small rocky or metallic bodies in space, often fragments of asteroids or comets.
- When a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, it becomes a meteor and produces a bright streak due to heating and friction.
- If a meteor is unusually bright, it is commonly called a fireball.
- If it explodes or fragments violently in the atmosphere, it is called a bolide.
- Most meteors burn up before reaching the ground, but surviving fragments are called meteorites.
- Loud booms occur because fast-moving meteors generate shockwaves in the atmosphere.
- The Chelyabinsk bolide of 2013 over Russia is a famous example, as its shockwave damaged buildings and injured many people.
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Bolide Meteor and Atmospheric Explosion Dynamics