© Eva Bocek/ShutterstockThe tremor was felt close to Bastia, in the east of the island
An unexplained tremor that struck the French island of Corsica was likely a meteor entering the earth's atmosphere, according to experts. The tremor, accompanied by what sounded like a huge explosion, was felt on the afternoon of Thursday, June 20.
It rattled windows in areas along the eastern coast of the island, according to local residents, and was felt as far away as Tuscany in Italy.
"The most plausible hypothesis is that a small asteroid-type object entered the atmosphere and then exploded... what we call an "air burst" or an atmospheric explosion," Jérôme Gattacceca, director of research at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), told Corse Matin .
Comment: The fireball has been added by NASA-CNEOS to their list with "Fireball and Bolide Data". The "calculated total impact energy" has been estimated to 1.5 kt of TNT which is the highest number this year, ahead of the 1.2 kt event on June 18. This year 16 fireballs have made the list.
What is unique about this event, is that it entered over land, during the night, and under weather conditions that allowed cameras to capture it. For another fireball that was well recorded by cameras see: Best of the Web: Bright meteor fireball illuminates night sky over Spain and Portugal on May 18 [Update: Calculated total impact energy 0.13kt TNT]