[TaraP]

Seems like these fireballs falling to earth are a common occurrence now....

[GeronL]

BUMP!

[Red Badger]

Lets see, People all over Ireland see strange light in sky around 6pm...................Were they going into the bar or out?...................

[SoldierDad]

H. G. Wells Ping!!!!!

[Roccus]

While it would have been travelling at high speed when it was spotted, the rock would have slowed down when it hit the atmosphere.

ICBW, but since it was already a fireball, wouldn't it have already been in the atmosphere?

[Verginius Rufus]

Wouldn’t it have already been in the earth’s atmosphere by the time it was visible to people on the ground? When it was still in outer space, it wouldn’t have been on fire.

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

“...would have been travelling with the force of a small nuclear weapon. ...but it is unlikely to have hurt anyone.”

What's wrong with the above information from the article?

[dead]

Astronomy Ireland says there is a very good chance it has landed inland, but it is unlikely to have injured anyone.

It was definitely not terrorism related.

[KarlInOhio]

would have been travelling with the force of a small nuclear weapon.

...

The fireball could have been as large as a desk.

Hyperbole much? Let's say a desk is 1 meter x 1 meter x 2 meters = 2 cubic meters. If the meteor has the same density as granite it will be 5500 kilograms. An item that mass traveling at 25,000 miles per hour (yes, I know, don't mix units) would have the kinetic energy of 343 gigajoules, or about the energy of 80 tons of TNT.

Not even in the "small" nuclear weapon energy.

[J40000]

OH NO!!! We’re ALL gonna DIE!!!

If you watch tv, you’d all KNOW that a meteorite of this size would destroy all life on earth! Just the dust cloud alone would cause a global ice-age! The blast of it’s impact would cause the oceans to shift so much that the planet would begin to break into pieces!

Where’s my foil hat?!?! AAAHHHH!!!!

[NonValueAdded]

brilliant!

[C19fan]

When is the tsunmai going to hit the East Coast? **Bad attempt at humor***

[wolfpat]

Technically, it ain't a meteorite until it hits the ground.

[SparkyBass]

Impossible.
It is a meteor until it hits the ground. Then it is a meteorite (or so I was always taught).

[mountainlion]

Meteorite after it hits the ground. Meteror in the air. Did this thing hit the ground and go back into the air?

[conservativeharleyguy]

I don’t want to be the “Language Police” but....

A “Meteor” is the object (the chunk of rock that falls from the sky).

“Meteorite” is the geological name for the material (type of rock) of which that object is composed.

[Star Traveler]

If people only knew and realized how much we’re being “pummeled” by these rocks and particles from outer space (and have been continuously for as long as we’ve been on this earth) — they might be somewhat scared.

But, ignorance is bliss, in most people’s minds, even though we’ve been pummeled like this for centuries and centuries... :-)

[Fiddlstix]

Click the Pic

[tubebender]

Was the return address from Iran?

[Star Traveler]

The Barringer Crater, near Winslow, Arizona, was created by a rock about 30 feet across... hoo-boy! :-)

That's almost a mile across...