‘Fireball’ meteor passes over New York City
Jul 16, 2024, 8:30 PM
(CANVA)
NEW YORK CITY — A loud boom rattled New York residents Tuesday morning which NASA officials attributed to a “daylight fireball meteor.”
A NASA Meteor Watch Facebook post said the fireball reportedly flew over New York City at 11:17 a.m. EDT.
Based on data from local media reports and the American Meteor Society, the fireball moved at around 38,000 miles per hour. It passed over the Statue of Liberty and headed toward New Jersey before disintegrating.
NASA said there were also reports of military activity in the area where the fireball was seen. That could “explain the multiple shakings and sounds reported to the media,” NASA said on Facebook. New Yorkers reportedly heard and felt that shaking between 10 a.m. and noon, EDT, NASA said.
They say no meteorites came from the fireball.
What is a ‘daylight fireball meteor?’
According to the American Meteor Society, a fireball is simply a “very bright meteor.” It’s brighter even than the planet Venus when visible in the morning or evening sky.
“A good thousand meteors of fireball magnitude occur in the Earth’s atmosphere each day,” the American Meteor Society said on its website.
“The vast majority of these, however, occur over the oceans and uninhabited regions. A good many are masked by daylight.”
Many people report sonic booms and electrophonic sounds with extremely bright fireball sightings, like the one in New York City, the American Meteor Society said. An electrophonic noise often sounds like a hissing static or a popping sound.
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