OTD In Space – August 10: 'Great Daylight Fireball' Zooms Over North America
On Aug. 10, 1972, an Earth-grazing fireball burst through the sky over North America.
It didn't hit the ground, but instead it passed straight through the sky. The fireball entered the atmosphere somewhere over Utah and passed northwards, leaving the atmosphere over Alberta, Canada about 100 seconds later. Analysis of its trajectory showed the object was about 10 to 45 feet in diameter, depending on whether it was an icy comet or a denser, rocky asteroid.
It didn't hit the ground, but instead it passed straight through the sky. The fireball entered the atmosphere somewhere over Utah and passed northwards, leaving the atmosphere over Alberta, Canada about 100 seconds later. Analysis of its trajectory showed the object was about 10 to 45 feet in diameter, depending on whether it was an icy comet or a denser, rocky asteroid.
Transcript
00:00On this day in space.
00:03In 1972, an earth-grazing fireball burst through the sky over North America.
00:08It didn't hit the ground, but instead it passed straight through the sky.
00:12The fireball entered the atmosphere somewhere over Utah and passed northwards,
00:16leaving the atmosphere over Alberta, Canada about 100 seconds later.
00:20Analysis of its trajectory showed the object was about 10 to 45 feet in diameter,
00:24depending on whether it was an icy comet or a denser, rocky asteroid.
00:28No one's really sure which one it was.
00:30And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:33♪