Fire in the Sky: Information on Sunday's Exploding Meteor Over Nevada & California

More information is coming to light regarding the large bolide meteor believed to have exploded in the atmosphere over Reno, Nevada and the Sierra Mountain Range of California early on Sunday morning, April 22, 2012.

According to respected scientific web site SpaceWeather.com , the loud, concussive explosion caused by the meteor impacting Earth's atmosphere, rattled homes and was heard in a broad area covering more than a thousand square miles. The explosion caused a flurry of calls to emergency services from concerned citizens across the region.

According to Bill Cooke, head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, the source of the blast was a moderate meteor roughly the size of a minivan. "The energy is estimated at a whopping 3.8 kilotons of TNT, so this was a big event," Cooke states. "I am not saying there was a 3.8 kiloton explosion on the ground in California. I am saying that the meteor possessed this amount of energy before it broke apart in the atmosphere." 3.8 kilotons would be approximately one fourth of the energy released by the "Little Boy" atomic weapon dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, at the end of WWII.

As for the conjecture that this bolide meteor event was a part of the yearly Lyrid meteor shower, Cooke is not convinced: "This meteor was probably not a Lyrid; without a trajectory, I cannot rule out a Lyrid origin, but I think it likely that it was a background or sporadic meteor." The Lyrid meteor shower is believed to be the remnants of Comet Thatcher, which disintegrated as it neared the sun.

Large Boom, Possibly from Exploding Meteor, Heard in Nevada/California

UPDATE: NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) tells News Channel 4 in Reno, Nevada, they have received reports of a meteor strike near the Kingsbury Grade area but there is no confirmation at this point.

A loud boom accompanied with shaking ground was heard Sunday morning around 8:00AM local time across a significant region of Northern Nevada and the Sierra mountain range.

A large number of witnesses in the Sierra around El Dorado County, Nevada, have reported they saw what they believed to be a bright meteor streaking across the sky just before the explosion was heard.

There have been reports of seeing something in the air or hearing a boom from many parts of the Reno-Sparks metro area, also the Sierra, the Tonopah area and the Winnemucca areas of the state. Emergency services began to field calls from concerned citizens almost immediately after the explosion was heard and felt.

The explosion, if discovered to be from a meteor impacting the Earth's atmosphere, follows a lengthy series of similar sightings and loud sounds heard from suspected meteor's in recent weeks. A large meteor was observed exploding above the skies of New Zealand only two weeks ago, which prompted calls to television stations and emergency services as well. Video of a suspected meteor blazing across the skies of Brazil hit the Internet only yesterday.

Experts believe the meteor may have been part of the yearly Lyrid meteor show, which is thought to be the remnants of exploded Comet Thatcher. The meteor shower was expected to peak in the overnight hours this evening.

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