A meteor crashed into Earth’s atmosphere over New York City yesterday (July 16), creating a spectacular display for viewers across the region.
The meteor produced a rare daytime fireball that moved west into New Jersey at speeds of up to 38,000 mph (61,000 km/h). According to NASA’s Meteor Monitor.
the American Meteorite Society NASA received multiple reports of a daytime fireball on July 16, 2024 over New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. Dramatic footage of the fireball was captured over Wayne, New Jersey and Northford, Connecticut.
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Meteors are the visible trails of meteors that enter Earth’s atmosphere At high speeds, it burns up as it passes through. A fireball is particularly bright meteor With a visual magnitude of -3 or brighter when observed at the zenith. If a fireball explodes as it moves through the atmosphere, it is called a meteor.
Earth is constantly bombarded by space rocks. NASA estimates About 48.5 tons (44 metric tons) of material falls to Earth every day. Most of this material burns up in the atmosphere, sometimes creating “shooting stars” or fireballs. According to NASA, space rocks smaller than 82 feet (25 meters) across are most likely to burn up upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, causing little or no damage.
The meteor that created the spectacular daytime fireball was likely about 1 foot (0.3 meters) in diameter and therefore unable to linger on Earth or pose any threat to Earth, according to NASA’s Meteor Monitoring Service.
Although some eyewitnesses reported loud explosions and vibrations, it is still uncertain whether the fireball was the cause. According to NASA Meteor Watch, there were reports of military activity in the area around the fireball at the same time, which would explain the loud noises and vibrations.
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