Residents in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut were taken by surprise this week by a loud boom and an unexpected cosmic event in the sky. The sudden noise left many bewildered, prompting a flurry of speculation and curiosity.
New York City Councilman Justin Brannan addressed the situation in a Facebook post on Tuesday morning: “Folks from the Jersey Shore to the West Side of Manhattan reported hearing a sonic boom about 1 hour ago. I personally spoke with NYC Emergency Management and there is nothing on their radar. USGS says no earthquake. Some say maybe a meteor?”
NASA later confirmed that the source of the loud boom and the accompanying explosion-like sound was indeed a daylight fireball over New York City around 11:17 a.m. on Tuesday, as reported by NASA Meteor Watch.
More than 40 individuals from Wilmington, Delaware to Newport, Rhode Island, reported sightings of the fireball to the American Meteor Society, with some even posting videos of the dazzling event online.
NASA Meteor Watch stated that the meteor originated over New York City and traveled west towards New Jersey at a staggering speed of 38,000 miles per hour, based on these eyewitness accounts. However, NASA noted that the meteor’s trajectory was “very crude and uncertain” due to the lack of camera or satellite data to refine their observations.
In their statement, NASA also mentioned that the fireball was first observed at an altitude of 49 miles above Upper Bay, east of Greenville Yard, New Jersey, before moving at 34,000 miles per hour. The space rock followed a steep angle and passed over the Statue of Liberty before eventually breaking up around 29 miles above Manhattan. Fortunately, no meteorites were recovered from this event.
NASA emphasized that contrary to popular belief, they do not actively track small rocks from space unless they are on a potential collision course with Earth. The agency reiterated that their focus remains on identifying and tracking larger, potentially hazardous asteroids.
This remarkable event serves as a reminder of the dynamic and sometimes unpredictable nature of our solar system. While the loud boom and bright flash startled many, it also provided a spectacular demonstration of a natural cosmic phenomenon.
