Search on for debris from "green fireball" meteor

THE search is on for pieces of mete or that was seen hurtlingacross the sky like a green fireball on Monday night. "It's possible that some parts of the meteor might have fallen onto the Earth's surface said Boonrucksar Soonthornthum, executive director of the National Astronomical Research Institute ofThailand (Narit). "We will try to find them and col- lect them for studies The green fireball visible to the naked eye in many parts of the coun- try on Monday night, delighting and surprising onlookers. Boonrucksar believes the meteor consisted of chromium or magnesium, which made it appearlike a green fire- ball. He said it might have exploded between 60 and 100 kilometres from the Earth's surface. It's the first green fireball seen here," he said. Although he thinks some pieces of the meteor might have landed on the

Earth's surface, he said the space rock should have noserious impacton peo- ple or anima "There ma have been some minor impact from the sonic boom, hesaid. Worawit Tanwuthibandit, a school- ar who studies astronomy and is an adviser to an observatory in Chachoengsao province, saidasteroids pose a big threat when crashing into

The Earth only if they are big in size. he last asteroid that travelled near the Earth was Asteroid 2015 TB145, which came closest on October31. The distance between it and the Earth was still around 499,ooo kilometres. "It must have been at least 2so metres diameter travelled at a speed of 126,000 kilometres perhour," Worawit said.

Credit By : The Nation

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