Meteor explosion over NYC stuns residents, NASA provides insight
On Tuesday, July 16, residents of New York City witnessed an extraordinary phenomenon. A small meteor flew over the city and then exploded above Manhattan. NASA confirmed that the incident took place and released more information about the object's characteristics.
6:53 PM EDT, July 19, 2024
According to a statement from NASA, the meteor that exploded over New York City on Tuesday was first detected about 49 miles above New York Harbor. It moved westward toward New Jersey at a speed of 38,000 miles per hour. The meteor flew over the Statue of Liberty before disintegrating approximately 29 miles above downtown Manhattan.
Witnesses of the event described seeing a bright fireball, hearing loud noises, and feeling "shocks" between 4:00 AM and 6:00 AM Eastern Time. Bill Cooke from NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office confirmed that the incident indeed happened and emphasized its uniqueness. "Meteors are typically well-visible at night, not during the day, so this was a rare daytime bolide," he stated.
What exploded over New York City?
Interestingly, NASA initially did not track this object. In its statement, the agency explained the reasons. "We track asteroids that could pose a threat to Earth, but small rocks like the one this bolide came from are only about 12 inches in diameter and cannot survive the entire journey to the surface," the statement cited by American media reads.
"We are not able to track such small objects, so the only time we learn about their existence is when they hit the atmosphere and form a meteor or bolide," the agency representatives explained.
