Is It An Asteroid? Is It A Meteor? (Scientifically) It's Both

By Katherine Fritcke
Published: Friday, June 3, 2016 - 2:03pm

Questions remain as to what fell out of the sky early Thursday morning. Is it an asteroid? Is it a meteor? 

Laurence Garvie with the Arizona State University Center for Meteorite Studies said it’s both. 

“The asteroid, approximately 10 foot in diameter, when it entered the Earth’s atmosphere it becomes a bright meteor. In this case it becomes a bolide, it was so bright,” he said. “And then it breaks up and hopefully drops some stones on the ground. Which is then a meteorite.”

Garvie said no official confirmation has been made that meteorites have been found.

According to NASA Doppler readings, potential meteorites would have fallen into the area over Tonto National Forest and the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

Science