What exactly caused the boom heard ’round Utah?

SALT LAKE CITY — The article that created the “increase” heard throughout northern Utah early Saturday was a meteor, however there are different phrases to explain it. Meteoroids and meteorites are additionally used, however what is the distinction?

One rock will be all three, however not on the identical time.

In area, the rock is a meteoroid, whereas within the Earth’s environment it is a meteor, and if it makes it to the bottom, it is a meteorite.

Photoshoppers had a subject day placing a large flaming object streaking via Little Cottonwood Canyon, and downtown Salt Lake Metropolis with zombies and the elusive discontinued Choco Tacos.

Even the Kaysville Police Division took half with a social media put up of their very own.

However do not be fooled, meteors do not seem like fireballs as they fall to earth. They get extraordinarily sizzling within the environment, however falling via miles of ultra-cold air cools them down.

So far as meteorites really hitting Utah, these are very uncommon.

The Utah Geological Survey says there are 4 doubtless meteorite craters within the state, together with Upheaval Dome; a form of lovely inverted crater in Canyonlands Nationwide Park.

The American Meteor Society solely lists 26 confirmed meteorites positioned in Utah. The most important was discovered within the Drum Mountains of Millard County with a mass of principally iron weighing 1,164 kilos. It was discovered by two Japanese-American males forcefully relocated to the Topaz Internment Camp throughout World Struggle II.

The geologist introduced again to the positioning stated it doubtless fell “throughout the final hundred years” as written in 1944.

Essentially the most just lately confirmed discover was in 2014 within the Tule Valley, additionally in Millard County, with the bigger of two items weighing about half an oz..

An professional instructed FOX 13 Information that Saturday’s meteor might have been the dimensions of a seaside ball and will have cut up in two within the environment. Even a meteor that huge might have disintegrated, nevertheless it’s doable there a meteorite or two from the rock fell someplace within the western U.S.