GREENVILLE, S.C. (WHNS/Gray News) – A meteor that was seen in South Carolina and Georgia may have crashed into a home, according to authorities.
People in South Carolina and Georgia reported seeing a “fireball in the sky” around noon on Thursday.
NASA determined the object was an extremely bright meteor called a “superbolide” that was about one meter in diameter. The meteor was traveling at an estimated 29,000 miles per hour.
Sonic booms were widely reported along the ground track of the fireball, NASA said.
Several meteorites have reportedly been found by people in McDonough, Georgia, indicating the meteor broke into numerous pieces.
There is a difference between a meteor and a meteorite.
A meteor is a bright streak of light in the sky that is visible as a small space rock enters the Earth’s atmosphere. A meteorite is a space rock that survives passing through the atmosphere and lands on the Earth’s surface.
In Georgia, Henry County officials told WANF that they responded to a home where the owner reported at least one rock crashing through their roof.
“A piece of unidentified debris penetrated the roof of a residence and entered the home, with no reported injuries. At this time, the exact nature of the object has not been confirmed. However, after consulting with the National Weather Service, it has been advised that the debris may be either a fragment of a meteor or potentially space debris, commonly referred to as ‘space junk,” Henry County Emergency Management spokesperson Ryan Morrison said.
In South Carolina, Anderson County Fire Dispatch said multiple fire departments are looking for a possible crash site and fragments of the meteor.
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