(ETH) – A huge fireball seen zipping through the sky has left residents of Washington and Oregon, in the US, and British Columbia in Canada stunned. The meteor was reportedly so bright, that locals saw the event in the broad daylight on April 30th. According to a report from the Express, The International Meteor Organisation (IMO) received nearly 50 reports from witnesses, with some even claiming it was the best fireball they had ever see.
Asteroids and meteors produce a bright explosion of fire when striking the atmosphere as it is the first time the space rock has ever met resistance. Air seeps into the pores and cracks of the rock, pushing it apart and causing it to explode.
The IMO stated that: “Fireballs are meteors that appear brighter than normal. “Due to the velocity at which they strike the Earth’s atmosphere, fragments larger than one millimeter has the capability to produce a bright flash as they streak through the heavens above.
Although, the chances of a major asteroid striking the Earth are small – NASA believes there is a one in 300,000 chance yearly that a space rock which could cause regional damage will hit – the devastating prospect is not impossible. However, there are contingency plans in the making that could help Earth against potential asteroid strikes.
