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Many residents in the eastern part of the country were treated to a midday surprise on Wednesday when a meteor entering Earth's atmosphere caused a loud boom that was heard over miles, according to multiple reports.
Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society in Geneseo told WTVH that the meteor was likely the size of a small car, and caused a fireball that could be seen from areas in Ontario, New York, plus Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The meteor also sparked a bright flash of light that could be seen over Toronto. By chance, the flash was filmed from a camera placed atop a Canadian tower, WSTM reported.
According to the news station, some residents in Central New York said their homes shook during the event, and some mistook the commotion for a car crash or a large object falling over.
“To have something so close to a major city, that's pretty rare,” Lunsford told NBC News.
CBS News said police and fire departments in New York received multiple 911 calls regarding the loud boom.
"When a very bright fireball penetrates to the stratosphere, below an altitude of about 30 miles, and explodes as a bolide, there is a chance that sonic booms may be heard on the ground below," the American Meteor Society explained in a report of the incident.
"NASA analysis of the event shown that the parent meteoroid at the origin of the event entered Earth’s atmosphere over upper New York, between Rochester and Syracuse," they continued. "Traveling westward at 56,000 miles per hour, it broke into pieces at an altitude of approximately 22 miles, producing a bright flash reported by the public and caught in videos."
A woman who was outside with a group of sled dogs happened to record the meteor as it zipped crossed the sky over Royalton, New York (footage can be seen here).
While the incident was no doubt spectacular, the American Meteor Society noted that meteors visit Earth every day, but are often not seen.
"Several thousand meteors of fireball magnitude occur in the Earth’s atmosphere each day," the American Meteor Society said. "The vast majority of these, however, occur over the oceans and uninhabited regions, and a good many are masked by daylight. Those that occur at night also stand little chance of being detected due to the relatively low numbers of persons out to notice them."
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The organization said bright fireballs caused by meteors are considered rare events, and the brighter they are, the more uncommon the occurrence.
Wednesday's meteor over North America comes just after Japan had its own event earlier this week. On Sunday, a bright fireball was filmed flying over the country's skies, with some saying it was "as bright as the full moon."
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