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Credit & Copyright: Jason Rice
Explanation:
Have you ever seen a fireball?
In astronomy, a
fireball is a very bright
meteor -- one at least as bright as
Venus and possibly brighter than even a
full Moon.
Fireballs are rare --
if you see one you are likely to
remember it for your whole life.
Physically, a
fireball is a small rock that
originated from an
asteroid or
comet that typically leaves a fading smoke
trail of gas and dust as it
shoots through the
Earth's atmosphere.
It is unlikely that any single large ground strike occurred -- much of the rock likely vaporized as it broke up into many small pieces.
The featured picture was
captured last week from a deadwood beach in
Cape San Blas,
Florida,
USA.
Piece it Back Together:
Astronomy Puzzle of the Day
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: fireball - meteor
Publications with words: fireball - meteor
See also: