A suspected meteorite that struck a house in New Jersey on May 8 may have originated from the Eta Aquariids meteor shower, which is caused by Halley’s comet.
As reported on the website of Hopewell Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, the oblong metallic object—about 6 inches by 4 inches and weighing 4 lbs.—came through the roof and ceiling to hit a hardwood floor. The incident happened when the home was occupied, but no injuries were reported. A family member touched the rock and said it was warm.
Meteorites are rocks of extra-terrestrial origin that pass through the Earth’s atmosphere and reach the surface at least partly intact.
Hopewell Police Department contacted other agencies for assistance in identifying the object, which may be related to the current Eta Aquariids meteor shower.
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaked this year overnight on May 5-6, though “shooting stars” are common for weeks before and after the peak. The shower is active from mid-April through late May each year.
This particular meteorite—if that’s what it’s proven to be—likely wasn’t left in the inner solar system during Halley’s comet’s last journey close to the Sun in 1986. According to Space.com the current Eta Aquarids meteor shower is the result of Earth busting through debris leftover from its perihelion in the year 390 BC.
“For it to actually strike a house, for people to be able to pick up, that’s really unusual and has happened very few times in history,” said Derrick Pitts, the chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute, to KYW-TV in Philadelphia.
On November 30, 1954 a similar-sized meteorite crashed through the roof of a farmhouse in Alabama, hitting a sleeping 34-year-old woman.
Every year there are now almost two reports of meteorite falls that directly hit human beings or their belongings, according to a scientific paper reporting that on September 18, 2015 a meteorite impacted a house in San Carlos, Uruguay.
Some meteorites found on Earth never actually strike it. On July 9, 2014 an intense fireball was seen for hundreds of miles around in Morocco and a hunt for the culprit was launched. The next day a young boy found the Tirhert meteorite wedged between the branches of a small tree. Christie’s sold it for $37,500 in 2021.
From 10 to 30 “shooting stars” per hour are usually seen in the hours between midnight and dawn during the peak of the Eta Aquariids meteor shower, according to the American Meteor Society. However, it’s not the only one caused by Halley’s comet. October’s Orionid meteor shower, which will this year occur from early October through early November and peaks on October 21/22, is also caused by its debris.
Halley’s comet orbits the Sun every 75–79 years and will next visit the inner solar system in 2061. It’s almost completed its journey away from the Sun and will soon turn back towards it. On December 9, 2023, the giant space rock will reach its aphelion—the farthest its ever gets from the Sun—before swinging back towards it.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5mb3JiZXMuY29tL3NpdGVzL2phbWllY2FydGVyZXVyb3BlLzIwMjMvMDUvMTAvdGhlLXNob290aW5nLXN0YXItdGhhdC1zdHJ1Y2stYS1uZXctamVyc2V5LWhvbWUtdGhpcy13ZWVrLWNvdWxkLWJlLWZyb20taGFsbGV5cy1jb21ldC_SAZQBaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZm9yYmVzLmNvbS9zaXRlcy9qYW1pZWNhcnRlcmV1cm9wZS8yMDIzLzA1LzEwL3RoZS1zaG9vdGluZy1zdGFyLXRoYXQtc3RydWNrLWEtbmV3LWplcnNleS1ob21lLXRoaXMtd2Vlay1jb3VsZC1iZS1mcm9tLWhhbGxleXMtY29tZXQvYW1wLw?oc=5
2023-05-10 12:20:55Z
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