In Avon, Ohio, police said Tuesday that they had been "inundated" with calls about an explosion heard across the city.

A fridge-size space rock spectacularly broke apart over Ohio at 40,000 mph, creating a loud boom and a rare "fireball" that shone in the bright blue daytime sky. The rare sight, which exploded with the equivalent force of 250 tons of TNT,

Space rocks are constantly hurtling toward us, slamming into the atmosphere and often exploding into fireballs that both delight and alarm. Thankfully, the vast majority cause no damage because they are pulverized into dust or small chunks by the journey to Earth.

A meteor streaked over Northeast Ohio Tuesday morning, causing a loud boom. Experts say some fragments may have reached the ground.

The National Weather Service confirmed that the commotion was likely caused by a meteor, based on images from NASA's Geostationary Lightning Mapper. The satellite-borne technology is primarily used to monitor and detect lightning strikes throughout the nation, but can also pick up other above-ground disturbances, including meteors.

Here's where to hunt for large, medium and small meteorites.

You might have heard a lot of phrases on Tuesday, including meteoroid, meteor, and meteorite. Meteorologist Katie McGraw is breaking down the lingo.

The Betsa family joined dozens at River Styx Park hunting for meteorites after NASA identified the area as the likely landing zone for fragments from Tuesday's fireball over Northeast Ohio.

"For a few seconds I honestly thought something had exploded close to our aircraft," the traveler told Newsweek.

A 7-ton meteor that sped across the Cleveland sky at 45,000 miles per hour on Tuesday broke apart in a thunderous boom that startled residents who feared an explosion.