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June 20, 2024
Livorno 20 June 2024 Sonic roar on the Tuscan coast and Elba, Bolide dissolves in the atmosphere
Around 4.30pm this afternoon a roar alarmed many people who thought it was an earthquake. Our editorial team has received reports and requests about what happened from various locations; Cecina, Rosignano, Livorno, Calambrone and Tirrenia.
The civil protection of Livorno through Dr. Lazzerini explains to us what happened. The phenomenon was recorded on the instruments at the station on the island of Elba, it is a seismo-acoustic phenomenon recorded with a maximum infrasonic level which also produced a seismic signal on the local and national network.
In simpler words, the recorded roar is like that of an object that exceeds the sound barrier in speed.
The analysis of the data highlights the origin of the roar in the atmosphere coming from the South, therefore it is thought to be a fireball. The celestial object should have dissolved in the atmosphere since no impacts at sea or on land have been recorded
The Bolide:
The term fireball (from Greek βολις, bolis, projectile) commonly indicates a meteor of high brightness, of negative magnitude. It is a current but not scientific term, as astronomers do not distinguish meteors based on brightness.
The fireballs can cause noises, generally similar to distant thunder, artillery volleys, or explosions of mines. They are generally perceived 1 to 3 minutes after the appearance of the fireball, as sound travels at a speed of about 0.3 km/s and takes longer than light to reach the observer. Furthermore, only sounds generated at a height no higher than 50km, because at greater heights they are reflected upwards and vanish in the upper atmosphere. The sounds are due to the often explosive disintegration of the meteoroid.
