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The Conversation
The Conversation
Shawn Laatsch, Director of the Versant Power Astronomy Center, University of Maine

Sonic booms from meteors can release the energy of hundreds of tons of TNT – here’s how they work

The Chelyabinsk asteroid left a vapor trail as it hit the Earth's atmosphere in 2013. M. Ahmetvaleev/European Space Agency

As humans, we live out our lives on a planet that is constantly sweeping through a cosmic ocean littered with ancient debris from the formation of the solar system. For the most part, our world glides silently through space, shielded by Earth’s thin atmosphere.

Occasionally, however, the rest of the universe reminds us of its presence with stunning, visceral clarity.

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