Meteor explodes in sky over Baltimore

July 6, 11:13 AMBaltimore Weather ExaminerTony Pann

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Artist rendition of a meter. Source: AP

Many calls to the 911 system in Harford and northern Baltimore Counties, and southern PA began around 1am this morning.  A flash of light and an explosion was heard in the sky.  MEMA (Maryland's emergency Management Agency), NORAD and The National Weather Service was contacted, and can not confirm what was seen and heard.  The best explanation was that a meteor exploded in the sky.

Despite a little fog forming, the sky was clear and the weather was calm.  Meteors, the size of dust or pebbles often burn up in the atmosphere, and are more commonly thought of as shooting stars.  Ocassionally a larger object can survive the speed, heat and pressure, before burning up in the lower atmosphere.  That is what this morning's event sounds like.

There are scheduled showers throughout the year, as Earth passes through dust and debris left from ancient comets or asteroids in the path of our orbit.  The next few are not even close, but here is a list of the expected summer meteor showers. A definition of space rocks is below:

July
Delta Aquarids July 28-29 Frequency:		At peak time about 20 bright, yellow meteors can be observed per hour. Because these meteors nearly broadside the Earth, their speed is a moderate 25.5 miles per second.
Capricornids July 29-30 Frequency:		The Capricornids are characterized by their often yellow coloration and their frequent brightness. They are also slow interplanetary interlopers, hitting our atmosphere at around 15 miles per second. Though you can expect only 15 meteors per hour at best under dark sky conditions, the Capricornids are noted for producing brilliant fireballs.
August
Perseids August 12-13 Frequency:		This shower produces about 60 meteors per hour, and its performance is fairly consistent from year to year.
Parent Comet:  109P/Swift-Tuttle

Asteroids- Any of numerous bodies composed of metal or rock that orbit the sun.  The Asteroid Belt is located between Mars and Jupiter.

Meteors- Any small extra terrestrial solid body that hits Earth's atmosphere.

Meteorites- The remains of a meteoroid that remains solid after reaching Earth's surface.