NASA: Fireball seen in south Texas, meteorites hit the ground

MCALLEN, Texas (Gray News) – NASA experts believe a meteoroid was seen above south Texas on Wednesday evening, based on preliminary reports of atmospheric fireballs from several sources.

NASA wrote in a summary, experts believe the meteoroid while floating through space was originally about two feet in diameter and weighed about 1,000 pounds before most of it burned up in the atmosphere.

“Radar and other data indicate that meteorites did reach the ground from this event,” NASA said.

A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object that originates in outer space and passes through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet.

According to NASA, meteorites tend to hit Earth’s atmosphere at high speeds but break into small fragments before hitting the ground.

They cool quickly and are not generally a risk to the public.

The Smithsonian Institution and other scientific and academic institutions around the United States collect meteorites found across the country.

NASA said the samples enhance our understanding of the origin and evolution of the solar system.

The flash from the meteor was so bright that the National Weather Service in Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley Texas was able to detect and pinpoint its location.