Image courtesy Corel Corporation
Fireball explodes in sky near Chicago
News story originally written on April 4, 2003
A large meteor exploded in the sky near Chicago shortly after midnight on
the morning of March 28, 2003. People in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and
Ohio saw the meteor break apart in Earth's atmosphere. Several
pieces from the meteor fell across an area about 80 miles long by 20
miles wide near the south side of Chicago. Some of the pieces hit houses
in the area. One family found a five-pound meteorite, which had knocked a
hole in their ceiling, in their living room. Some pieces as large as 7.5 pounds
were found in the area.
The stony meteor was probably about the size of a small car before it exploded.
Small meteorites frequently strike the Earth. It is very unusual for meteorites
to land in areas where many people live. Luckily however, the pieces that fell
didn't
hit any
people.
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