Houston, Texas, USA
2 min read
Video Credit: Hunter Moliver
Houston Meteor Ended Over the Gulf of Mexico
December 5, 2019 5:35 AM CST – A very fast meteor appeared over Houston, Texas, on Thursday morning. It appeared as a brilliant fireball, with an additional streak of material emerging quickly after the flash, leading some to speculate that a large meteorite might have deposited on the ground. Unfortunately, the video data indicates that the end was likely more than 50km off the coast, in the Gulf of Mexico. The speed of the meteor was measured at roughly 40 km/s, so it is unlikely any surviving material was large enough to make a splash in the water below.
| Event Record(s): | AMS Event 6169-2019 |
| Date/Time: | 2019-12-05 11:35:58 UTC |
| Location: | 200km SSW of Houston, Texas |
| Dark Flight Coordinates: | 27.984 °N 95.908°W Google Map |
| Dark Flight Altitude: | ~40 km above sea level |
| Energy / Mass Estimate: | – |
| Entry Speed: | ~40 km/s |
| Bearing: | ~220° SW |
| Slope: | ~67° from vertical |
Event Videos
The videos shown here were used to calculate the trajectory of the meteor, in the file attached below.
Event Data
Jim Goodall triangulated the approximate start and end points of the meteor, from the videos shown above. You may download the attached KML file for details.
The author and founder of Strewnify.com, an automotive controls engineer, with a passion for physics.
Hancock, Michigan, USA | james.a.goodall@gmail.com | +1 586 709 5888
