Meteor explosions like this are rare, but not completely unheard of.
Can anyone explain what causes a meteor to explode like this versus passing relatively quietly through the atmosphere?
Can anyone explain what causes a meteor to explode like this versus passing relatively quietly through the atmosphere?
“There’s a big gradient between high-pressure air in front of the meteor and the vacuum of air behind it,” said Jay Melosh, a professor of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at Purdue University and co-author of the paper. “If the air can move through the passages in the meteorite, it can easily get inside and blow off pieces.”