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Bright fireball explodes over Norway, ground impact recorded south of Løten

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A bright fireball exploded over Norway at 23:21 UTC on January 4, 2021 (00:21 LT, January 5), producing a loud bang that was heard by many people, particularly those in Ullensaker. Norwegian Seismic Array (NORSAR) said ground impact was recorded at 23:24 UTC, 15 to 20 km (9 – 12.4 miles) S of their measuring station at Løten.

On Tuesday, residents in Norway reported a bright fireball with a loud bang as the object entered the atmosphere. The sound was heard by people in the municipality of Ullensaker.

According to the Norwegian meteor network, the object traveled at a speed of 50 000 km/h (31 000 mph).

The meteor penetrated very far into the atmosphere and gave a fairly powerful bang, an indicator that meteorites have fallen to the ground, said Steinar Midtskogen with the meteor network.

"The signal came from a southern direction and coincides with reports of sound heard by people in Ullensaker municipality," NORSAR wrote in a press release.

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The Blue arrow shows the meteor's visible movement over the terrain. Image credit: Norsk Meteor Nettverk

YouTube video

The agency noted that the meteorite possibly weighed up to 2 kg (2.2 lbs). However, researchers said it may be a challenge to find the meteorite.

"It would have been fun to find it, but it requires first and foremost luck to find a meteor deep in the forest," said Tormod Kværna with NORSTAR.

"We are talking about very small rocks, and if they end up somewhere out in the woods and there is snow, then it is almost hopeless to find now," Midtskogen added.

"There is an area of ​​several square kilometers that must be searched. I reckon that there may be some smaller meteorites here at a few hundred grams maybe, so it will be a bit like the needle in the haystack. We are talking about stones the size of an apple or smaller."

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Image credit: Norsk Meteor Nettverk

Norsk Meteor Nettverk videos:

In an update posted on January 11, NORSAR said ground impact signal was recorded at 23:24:36 UTC — 15 to 20 km (9 – 12.4 miles) S of their measuring station at Løten in Innlandet — around Eidsfjellet, east of Tangen, and west of Flisa.

The yellow line shows the track of the meteor and the marker NORSAR's station.

Image credit: Norsk Meteor Nettverk

Featured image credit: Norsk Meteor Nettverk

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One Comment

  1. Is it possible that Earth is passing through a debris field of meteoroids/asteroids? It seems every week we are getting fly-bys. The frequency appears to be increasing. Is there something we should know?

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