Context
A possible bolide event was reported recently after residents of Boston heard loud boom-like sounds and explosions, which experts believe may have resulted from a large meteor entering the Earth’s atmosphere.
About Bolide
- A bolide is an exceptionally bright meteor that often explodes or breaks apart in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, producing a brilliant flash of light.
- Larger bolides may generate loud sonic booms, and some fragments can survive atmospheric entry and reach the ground as meteorites.
- Bolide events occur several times each year, although many go unnoticed because they take place over remote or sparsely populated regions.
- The study of bolides helps scientists understand the composition of meteoroids and the processes involved during atmospheric entry.
Meteoroid, Meteor and Meteorite
- A rocky object travelling through space is known as a meteoroid.
- When a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere and burns due to friction, it is called a meteor, commonly seen as a “shooting star.”
- If a part of the object survives its passage through the atmosphere and reaches the Earth’s surface, it is known as a meteorite.
