The skies above New York City were the location of a once-in-a-lifetime sight. A meteor collided with Earth’s atmosphere after streaking across the sky 58 times faster than a jet plane.
NASA reported the incident after millions of residents noticed the commotion. Although it’s unclear how large the meteor was, it was small enough to burn up in our atmosphere.
Meteor Spotted
The meteor was first sighted around 11:15 p.m. EST when residents noticed a bright fireball in the sky.
The American Meteor Society notes that the fireball was seen throughout the tri-state area. Several reports also came from Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
High Speeds
The space debris was heading north at roughly 54,700 kilometers per hour.
The top Boeing 737 jet flies at 946 kilometers per hour, making the comet more than 58 times faster than a top jet engine.
Exploded in New York
Once the meteor reached the skies over the Statue of Liberty, the material exploded around 46 kilometers in the air.
NASA has already confirmed that no fragments have landed anywhere on the island on Manhattan. Aries Dela Cruz, a New York City Emergency Management official, says that no damages or injuries have been reported following the meteor incident.
Loud Booms Heard in NY
Both meteors and asteroids can make thunderous booming noises when they hit Earth’s atmosphere. A very loud noise was overheard by residents in New York and New Jersey on the night in question.
However, the noise might be related to something different.
Military Activity
On Tuesday evening, several incidents of military activity were recorded in the same airspace.
As a result, NASA notes that regular testing could be the cause of the loud noise and not necessarily the meteor.
Official Groups Backing Up the Story
The Federal Aviation Authority told NBC New York that only a military operation could have made a sonic boom overheard in multiple states.
The Pentagon and the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) said that they did not track any sonic booms or shaking in the area.
Alternate Theories
Another theory of where the loud noise originated from is an earthquake.
However, the US Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center noted that no such earthquakes or geological shifting was recorded in the area.
How Often Does This Happen?
Meteors actually hit the Earth’s atmosphere more regularly than you might think.
Although it doesn’t usually make the news, this phenomenon occurs around once a year. Occasionally, the meteor is big enough to create a large fireball as it streaks across the upper levels of the stratosphere. They almost always burn up during the descent to the Earth’s surface, so the likelihood of a meteor causing any damage is low.
How Big Are They?
The asteroids and meteors are actually quite large.
NASA notes that asteroids that enter the atmosphere are roughly the size of a car. Any piece of space rock smaller than that isn’t big enough to even notice.
The Last Time an Asteroid Hit Earth
The last time an asteroid or meteor made contact with the Earth’s surface was in Russia in 2013.
A large asteroid the size of a small building exploded above the city of Chelyabinsk. A large amount of smaller meteorites rained down on the city and gave scientists an extremely exciting few weeks to measure and monitor the effects of the impact.
Just Another Day in NY
Several rare occurrences have occurred over the past few months. Living in one of the biggest cities in the world, most New Yorkers are unphased by these large occurrences.
A large earthquake, a solar eclipse, major political tensions, a presidential assassination attempt, and the hottest summer on record have all occurred so far just this year. It’s difficult to ask some people to get excited about a meteor when they have bigger issues to worry about a meteor.
