The meteor streaked across the sky emitting a huge lens over the city of Santiago. Authorities cited by local media said the meteorite broke into several parts before disappearing in the Andes region. Residents of the city heard the sound of the meteor passing through the atmosphere as a loud boom of thunder, as reported by TNH1, a Brazilian media outlet. Besides that, astronomer Juan Carlos Beamin, from the Chilean Astronomy Foundation, said that the meteor that passed by Santiago is called “T12.cl.” Meteors entering the Earth’s atmosphere burn up in the Earth’s dense atmosphere and this produces lights in the sky due to friction with the air. That was the reason behind the meteor’s glow in the sky, Beamin said. The meteorite entered Earth at a speed of ten thousand kilometers per hour, Beamin said. Alan Gilmore, an astronomer at the University of Canterbury’s Mount John Observatory, said a meteorite descending through the atmosphere at high speed over an urban area was a rare event. He said it was shining very brightly, so it might have been a large object. Gilmore also said that the sound of the explosion heard by residents was evidence that the meteor had come from 60 kilometers away from Earth. Disclaimer: This content was created by an external company. The views expressed here are those of the respective authors/entities and do not represent the views of the Economic Times (ET). ET does not warrant, guarantee or endorse any of its contents or be responsible for them in any way. Take all reasonable steps to ensure that any information and content provided is correct, up-to-date and verified. ET hereby disclaims any warranty, express or implied, relating to the report and any content thereof.
