The meteor exploded over Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on New Year's Day, 2022.
The bolide, a meteor that explodes in the atmosphere, rattled homes in the area as it exploded just before 11:30 a.m. EST (16:30 UTC) on January 1st. NASA estimates the meteor was traveling at 45,000 miles per hour (72,420 kilometers per hour) and would've been roughly a yard (0.9 meters) in diameter for a weight of around 1000 pounds (454 kilograms). The estimated TNT equivalent of the explosion was 30 tons (27,216 kilograms).
No seismic activity, thunder, or lightning was recorded at the time, so meteorologists determined that a meteor falling through the atmosphere was responsible for the resounding boom felt on the ground. NASA stated that if it were not for cloudy weather, the meteor would have been easily visible during the day, with a brightness a hundred times greater than a full moon.
