Tellus: NASA fireball camera capture 150-pound asteroid piece as it falls over Georgia

From Tellus Science Museum: The NASA network fireball camera at Tellus Science Museum was the only one in the network to capture the meteor soaring through the atmosphere. You can see it briefly at the bottom of the screen. Tellus video

From NASA: Our #AllSkyCamera tracked a 150lb asteroid piece become a bright fireball over the GA skies: http://go.nasa.gov/22eu4Io

Media release: Around 6:33 PM EST on the evening of Thursday December 17 a bright meteor appeared over North Georgia. The object, probably a fragment from the asteroid belt, weighed about 150 pounds and was likely over 16 inches in diameter. It entered the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of about 29,000 miles per hour at an altitude of 50 miles over McDonough, Ga. Once it reached 17 miles over the town of Locust Grove, Ga, it may have broken up into small fragments.

Tellus Astronomer David Dundee says, “It’s unusual for a meteor of this size to move at such a slow speed this low in the atmosphere. With the Geminids meteor shower just ending, we’ve had quite a show in the sky over the last several days.” This object appeared as a very bright meteor and is referred to as a “Fireball”.

Because of the altitude and slow speed of 9,000 miles per hour, small fragments from this meteor may have hit the ground forming meteorites. Even though the complete asteroid entered Earth’s atmosphere at approximately 150 pounds, the pieces one could find on the ground would only be fragments of the whole.

Curator Sarah Timm advises, “If you think you found a fragment, first check that it is magnetic, solid (has no holes), is heavy for its size, and has a shiny black exterior. If your rock meets these criteria, we invite you to contact the museum.” Astronomer David Dundee, Curator Sarah Timm, or Executive Director Jose Santamaria will be happy to give an official site identification.

Tellus Science Museum is part of a NASA network of sites that have cameras looking for bright meteors each night. This object was photographed by the Tellus camera as well as five other sites in the southeast. The Tellus camera was the only one to capture the entire track of this fireball. For more information call (770) 606- 5720.