NASA reported that a meteor weighing approximately 1,000 pounds and spanning two feet wide slammed into South Texas on Wednesday.
The US space agency verified the Texas meteor shattered apart as it dropped through the sky and landed near McAllen, Texas at about 6 pm, according to Fox News.
NASA said that meteorites enter Earth's atmosphere at great velocities, but they decelerate and break as they descend through the atmosphere.
"Meteorites cool rapidly and generally are not a risk to the public," NASA meteorite statement reads.
The space agency reported the occurrence online and included a map indicating the probable landing site of Texas meteorite fragments.
Several witnesses reported seeing what may have been a meteor in the sky west of McAllen, according to the National Weather Service office for the Brownsville/Rio Grande Valley area.
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'Falling Star' Causes Panic
According to the weather service, a Geostationary Lightning Mapper caught the meteor's flare on camera just before 5:30 in the afternoon.
A video of birds fleeing and the sound of a sonic boom was taken by a home security camera and uploaded by Fox News Affiliate KDFW.
Several others claimed to have seen a "falling star" across the sky earlier in the week.
According to Mission Police Chief Cesar Torres' interviews with local media, the sighting caused widespread fear in the community, The Independent reported.
The Texas meteorite original bulk was likely over 450kg, but only smaller fragments-space rocks shattering apart before reaching the ground-may be collected since they entered the Earth's atmosphere at high speeds.
Texas Republican Representative Monica De La Cruz expressed gratitude "that everyone is safe." She also noted that her office has asked for further details from NASA and other concerned government agencies regarding the Texas meteorite incident, per USA Today.
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