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Fireball Erupts Above Pittsburgh | The Daily Wobble
During the morning hours on Saturday, around 11:30 AM, individuals residing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania were suddenly met with a powerful explosion, distinct from the usual thunderous sound, accompanied by minor earth tremors. Following this occurrence, the National Weather Service put forth a theory: a meteor had penetrated the Earth’s atmosphere, disintegrating upon entry, and ultimately detonating above the Pittsburgh vicinity, causing both the explosive noise and a shockwave that induced the tremors. While this hypothesis remains unconfirmed, it stands as the most plausible explanation.
“There exists a celestial body within our solar system accountable for this event, and when our planet crosses through the debris trail cast by said body, numerous meteors descend into our atmosphere—encouraging individuals to peer outside during the late evening hours, as they might witness luminous streaks resembling fireworks accompanying the sonic boom heard earlier today,” expressed Mike Hennessy of the Carnegie Science Center to local media outlets.
“In this particular scenario, there lies a possibility that a flaming meteoroid disintegrated within our atmosphere, leading to the subsequent explosion,” Hennessy elaborated. “After thorough examination, seismic disturbances and airport construction were dismissed as potential causes. Additionally, thunder was discounted due to the stable weather system prevailing over Pittsburgh on that day.”
The abrupt blast resonating across SW PA earlier is suspected to have resulted from a meteor explosion. This GOES-16 GLM Total Optical Energy data captures a burst unassociated with lightning. While unverified, this explanation seems the most logical at present. pic.twitter.com/ArtHCEA1RT
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) January 1, 2022
Pittsburgh locals turned to Twitter to share recordings from mobile devices and surveillance cameras capturing the resounding boom, along with occurrences like rattling windows and objects cascading off shelves; fortunately, no significant harm was documented in the aftermath of the explosion.
“It’s rather fascinating,” remarked Shannon Hefferan, a meteorologist associated with NWS Pittsburgh, in discussions with regional broadcasting stations. “Over the past few years, the technological advancements have enabled us to observe such phenomena, which was previously beyond our reach.
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