"A massive fireball streaked through the evening sky over Europe on Sunday, showering at least one German town with debris and triggering an investigation into the size of the object. The European Space Agency's Planetary Defense team, which is leading the investigation, currently estimates that the fireball was a few meters in diameter."
"Apparently the event was audible from the ground, and the fireball was visibly glowing for about six seconds. Falling debris from the meteor damaged a house, according to the agency, but there are no reported injuries."
"Because of the timing of Sunday's event and the direction the meteor was traveling in as it fell, the European Space Agency doesn't think any of the large-scale telescope sky surveys that are designed to scan for these objects would have caught it."
A massive fireball streaked across the European sky on Sunday evening, visible for approximately six seconds and audible from the ground. The European Space Agency's Planetary Defense team estimates the meteor was several meters in diameter. Debris from the impact damaged at least one German house, though no injuries were reported. The timing and trajectory of the event suggest that large-scale telescope surveys designed to detect such objects would not have captured it. The meteor's origin remains unclear, as these falling rocks typically originate from debris shed by passing comets and asteroids that burn up upon entering Earth's atmosphere.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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