An explosion heard throughout Israel may have been a meteor – Israel News

A meteor exploded in the atmosphere over northern Israel on Saturday, according to the Israeli Astronomical Society and corroborated by local experts.

The meteor reportedly hit the north shortly after 5 pm and witnesses were able to see the bright fireball in the sky until late in the afternoon. According to the Israeli Astronomical Society, a non-profit organization based in Givatayim, the meteor can be seen in the center of the country and has likely been seen in other parts of Israel as well.

According to Dr. David Polishchuk, an asteroid expert at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, the meteor was likely one meter in diameter based on his own observations of the photos and videos taken.

“It is larger than an ordinary meteor, but smaller compared to the Chelyabinsk event,” said Polishchuk. Jerusalem Post.

What is the Chelyabinsk asteroid?

The Chelyabinsk event marks the last major asteroid collision to have occurred on Earth. In 2013, a small asteroid exploded in the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, Russia. Although the blast was powerful enough to shatter windows, it did not result in any other damage, except for some injuries from shattered window panes.

Likewise, no damages from this meteorite have been reported. It is also currently unclear how powerful this meteorite impact was, or how much it weighed. However, even though it might only be a meter in size, it could still be quite heavy due to its density.

Meteors originate from asteroids or other large objects in space. Asteroids less than 1 meter in size are known as meteorites.

When very small meteorites or asteroids impact Earth’s atmosphere, they become visible but largely disintegrate, sometimes forming bright fireballs in the process. Anything left on impact is what is known as a meteorite.

This explosion is what usually strikes most meteors that enter Earth’s atmosphere.

This is not the first meteor to hit Earth this month.

Earlier in April, meteorites – fragments of meteorites and asteroids – hit the US state of Maine. This also caused no damage, although a local museum offered a $25,000 reward to anyone who could find a one-kilogram specimen.

Also in 2023, a meteor hit near McAllen, Texas, which, despite weighing as much as four baby elephants combined, caused no damage.