On Tuesday morning, July 16, a spectacular meteor soared above the Statue of Liberty before disintegrating approximately 30 miles above Midtown Manhattan, according to NASA. The event, witnessed by at least 20 people across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut around 11:15 AM, lit up the sky with hues of green, yellow, and white.
Eyewitness reports to the American Meteor Society described the meteor as a speeding light lasting about 30 seconds before breaking into three pieces. NASA’s Meteor Watch detailed the trajectory of the “daylight fireball,” noting it first appeared about 40 miles above New York Harbor’s Upper Bay and traveled east of North at a staggering speed of 34,000 miles per hour.
“The meteor descended at a steep angle of just 18 degrees from vertical, passing over the Statue of Liberty before disintegrating,” NASA explained in a Facebook post. However, the agency cautioned that the trajectory determination was based on limited eyewitness accounts, lacking camera or satellite data for further refinement.
Despite initial concerns of seismic activity, the US Geological Survey confirmed no evidence of an earthquake in the region, attributing reported shakings to potential atmospheric phenomena like sonic booms or weather-related causes. NASA also clarified that the meteor event did not produce any meteorites.
The incident has sparked curiosity and discussions across social media and local news, highlighting both the awe-inspiring nature of celestial events and the vigilance of scientific monitoring agencies in assessing such occurrences.