A meteor exploded over New York this week and people actually felt the shock wave – BGR

• A meteor entered the atmosphere over central New York this week, causing a boom and rattling windows.
• The object did not cause any damage, but it scared some of the area residents.
• The rock was probably completely destroyed during its journey through the atmosphere.

2020 was a difficult year for almost the whole world. Many people have joked that they would like a giant meteor to crash into Earth and “crash it”, but people in central New York recently got a little closer to that doomsday scenario as they probably would have wished.

On Wednesday of this week, a space rock whizzing through the solar system aligned perfectly with Earth, slamming into our planet’s atmosphere and causing a big boom. According to Syracuse.com, the rock sent out a shock wave that was felt for miles, causing windows to shake and even tripping earthquake detectors in the area.

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The space rock has sparked nearly 200 reports of people who have seen or heard it. Those reports, submitted to the American Meteor Society, were detailed enough for scientists to understand what had happened. The debris from the object reportedly rained down over a large area, although the vast majority was almost certainly incinerated due to the intense friction.

The meteor’s brief journey through the atmosphere was captured on video by a dog sled that was looking in the right place at the right time.

As you can see, the object emits a couple of bright flashes. These flashes typically indicate that the object was breaking apart on its way to Earth. Pressure and stress on rocks entering Earth’s atmosphere often cause them to crack or even explode. In some particularly extreme cases, meteor explosions in the atmosphere can send shock waves that damage structures.

In 2013, a large meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia. The blast produced an incredibly bright flash and shock wave that shattered windows, collapsed roofs and caused other widespread damage. Nearly 1,500 people were injured, mostly from glass and other debris that flew when the shock wave hit.

Thankfully, the meteor that appeared in central New York wasn’t nearly as destructive. produced a shock wave and a loud boom, but there appears to be no reports of damage to the structures or injuries. Also, there don’t seem to be any reports of people finding the remnants of the space rock that made it to Earth, so it’s possible the entire object was annihilated when it entered.

In any case it was an interesting event for those in the area. This sort of thing tends to be a once-in-a-lifetime event for those who witness it, so check it out on your wish list if you happened to catch it.

Mike Wehner has been reporting on technology and video games for the past decade, covering the latest news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones and the technology of the future. Most recently, Mike worked as a Tech Editor at The Daily Dot and appeared on USA Today, Time.com, and countless other websites and print media. His love of the news is second only to his addiction to games.