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A meteorite crashed in the US state of New York on Wednesday, triggering a sonic boom and a spectacular lightning strike over Lake Ontario at the entrance to Earth’s atmosphere, NBC reports.
Bill Cooke, who heads NASA’s Meteoroid office, says the meteorite entered the atmosphere at speeds of over 90,000 kilometers per hour.
The meteorite shattered at an altitude of 35 kilometers between Rochester and Syracuse, Cooke said. However, the sonic boom has been heard throughout New York State.
Emergency dispatchers in Onondaga County, where Syracuse is located, say they received several emergency calls about the blast.
When it broke, the meteorite produced bright light over Lake Ontario, Cooke said.
There have been few videos of the meteorite entering the atmosphere, so its orbit remains unclear. But the slow speed at which it fell suggests it most likely came from an asteroid, Cooke said.
“Having such an event this close to a large city is quite rare,” said Robert Lunsford of the American Meteor Society, adding that most meteorites “fall into the water” away from populated areas.
Publisher: Monica Bonea
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