Because of this, ReVelle and Whitaker often speak of meteor size in terms of explosive yield - the larger the yield, the greater the diameter of the meteor. Based on the energy and speed, ReVelle and Whitaker estimate the first meteor was six feet in diameter. The second meteor probably was at least twice as large. That meteor was one of the five brightest meteors that have ever been recorded, it was a very large bolide. Each year a number of large meteors enter the atmosphere and are detected by the Los Alamos arrays.
Larger bolides entering the atmosphere occur less frequently, but they do occur nevertheless.
Bolides produce their brilliant light shows tens of miles above Earth's surface. Fortunately for people on the ground, most meteors explode into thousands of tiny pieces or burn up completely before they hit the surface. If the August and April meteors made it to the surface, they probably hit water - well away from any populated areas. When they do hit the ground, their destructive power is unmistakable. But the stations do have tremendous potential for detecting clandestine nuclear weapons tests, and for forecasting the rate of large bolide entry into the atmosphere.