By Tim Gardner
According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), fragments (meteorites) from a meteor likely fell to the ground in the Ingalls community, located on the southern end of Avery County as well as in Mitchell County in the town of Spruce Pine and the Altapass Community early Friday morning, August 30. Spruce Pine and Altapass are approximately 8 and 10 miles, respectively, from Ingalls.
Video clips broadcast on WBTV in Charlotte showed a reflection of a meteor as it passed over the Vilas area, near Boone in Watauga County, shortly after 1:00 a.m. Friday morning (August 30). In it, a ball of light could be seen flashing by, leaving behind a trail.
NASA officials have noted that more than 100 eyewitnesses in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Georgia, and Alabama have filed reports on the American Meteor Society website of a bright fireball (meteor) seen at approximately 1:00 to 1:15 a.m. Friday morning. The fireball was also detected by several cameras in the region, as well as the Geostationary Lightning Mapper aboard the GOES-16 spacecraft.
An analysis of the available data indicates that the fireball was first seen at an altitude of 45 miles above Piney Flats, Tennessee, moving east and south at a whopping 31,300 miles per hour. The object–weighing nearly 1,000 pounds and just over 2 feet in diameter – managed to reach an altitude of 20 miles above Altapass before disintegrating. The breakup produced an energy of 10 tons of the yellowish compound explosive Trinitrotoluene (TNT), which generated a pressure wave that propagated to the ground, causing the loud booming sounds that were heard by many in the region.
NASA data indicates that a meteor can usually travel as fast as 44 miles per second.
A meteorite is a fragment of a meteoroid, which is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space. As meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they burn up, creating a streak of light through the sky known as a meteor. Most meteors burn up completely before reaching the Earth’s surface, but some reach the surface. These pieces on the ground are called meteorites.
More than 90 percent of meteorites are rock, while the remainder consist wholly or partly of iron and nickel. Meteorites are not generally considered a health risk by medical or NASA officials.
Appalachian State University’s Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences has a meteorite specialist who can easily identify any rocks people may find that they believe to be from the meteor. Those in the Ingalls, Spruce Pine, or Altapass areas who think there may be pieces on their property can contact Anthony Love by email at loveab@appstate.edu or by phone (828-262-6952) about determining if they are meteorites.
High Country Press will publish more details about the meteor and meteorites as they become available.