A huge meteorite was spotted over South Texas by two aircraft on Wednesday, Houston Air Traffic Control reported. Later, police announced that residents of McAllen reported hearing a loud explosion and shaking homes.
“Where the exact point of impact is unknown,” Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra said. “No reports of any damage in that area has been received.”
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Police Chief Cesar Torres told KVEO-TV that received calls from hundreds of residents who “heard the earth shake.” Police said that some people reported about a “loud explosion” or a “blast” in Mission which lies just north of the Mexico-United States border, KRGV reported.
Authorities have requested air support from the Texas Department of Public Safety following reports of the incident.
What is a meteorite?
A meteorite, which is often confused with meteors, is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid. This originates in outer space and typically comes from the asteroid belt which orbits between Mars and Jupiter.
The major difference between meteorites and meteors is that meteors turn into a fireball before reaching the ground while meteorites can strike the Earth’s surface.
Meteorites vary greatly in size.
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The largest meteorite found on Earth is the Hoba meteorite discovered in Namibia in 1920. It weighs roughly 54,000 kilograms (119,000 pounds). More than 60,000 meteorites have been found on Earth.
