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What Is a Bolide?

astronomyscience

Quick Answer

A bolide is an exceptionally bright meteor — a fireball that explodes or fragments in the atmosphere, often with a visible flash and sonic boom.

The Full Story

When a rocky or metallic body enters the atmosphere at 11–72 km/s, friction heats the air to thousands of degrees. If the object is larger than about 1 metre, it produces a fireball brighter than the full Moon — classified as a bolide. Many bolides explode mid-air when internal pressure exceeds structural strength. The Chelyabinsk event in 2013 was caused by a 20-metre asteroid that detonated at about 30 km altitude with an energy of roughly 500 kilotonnes of TNT, shattering windows and injuring over 1,600 people. NASA records several thousand bolide events per year, most over oceans.

Key Facts

1.The Chelyabinsk bolide in 2013 was the largest recorded atmospheric entry since the 1908 Tunguska event.
2.NASA estimates that Earth is hit by a 1-metre-diameter object roughly every two weeks, though most go unnoticed.
3.Bolide fragments that reach the ground are called meteorites.

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"When Space Rocks Explode — What Bolides Are and Why They Matter"