A Bright Meteor Fireball Likely Caused Mysterious Booms Heard in New Jersey and New York City

Last Updated on 17/07/2024 by wccexam Desk

On Tuesday morning, July 16, 2024, residents across the tri-state area of New Jersey and New York City reported feeling shaking and hearing loud booming noises that sounded like an explosion or thunder. The source of these disturbances remained a mystery for several hours, with authorities initially ruling out an earthquake.

However, NASA has now confirmed that the likely cause of the mysterious booms was a bright daytime meteor fireball that streaked across the sky over the region. According to NASA’s analysis, the fireball was first spotted at an altitude of 49 miles above Upper Bay, moving northeast at a blistering speed of 34,000 miles per hour.

The meteor then descended at a steep 18-degree angle, passing over the Statue of Liberty before disintegrating 29 miles above midtown Manhattan. While the meteor did not actually impact the ground, NASA explained that the sonic booms generated by a meteor entering the atmosphere at such high speeds can produce loud explosive sounds that can be heard and felt over a wide area.

Numerous eyewitness reports on social media and to the American Meteor Society corroborated the sighting of a bright fireball in the sky around the time of the disturbances. However, NASA cautioned that the accuracy of the trajectory calculations was limited due to the sparse data available.

Authorities also explored other potential causes, such as military exercises being conducted at the nearby Warren Grove Air To Ground Bombing Range. But NASA’s assessment points to the meteor as the most likely explanation for the loud booms and shaking felt by residents in New Jersey and New York City on that Tuesday morning.

A Bright Meteor Fireball Likely Caused Mysterious Booms Heard in New Jersey and New York City

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