Posted on 05/10/2023 8:08:46 AM PDT by Red Badger
A photo of the suspected meteorite that hit a home in New Jersey on May 8, 2023. Photo courtesy Hopewell Township Police Department/Facebook
The week started with a bang for a homeowner in New Jersey after a likely meteorite blasted a hole through a house early Monday afternoon.
A metallic rock fell out of the sky and hit a house in Hopewell Township, N.J., located approximately 10 miles north of Trenton. The Hopewell Township Police Department responded to the incident and confirmed that the oblong-shaped rock damaged the building.
"It penetrated the roof, the ceiling and then impacted the hardwood floor before coming to a rest," the police department said. No one was injured during the incident.
An investigation is underway to identify the rock and to determine if it is indeed from space. Scientists will closely examine the rock, which appears to have a charred exterior and measures approximately 4 inches by 6 inches.
The Hopewell Township Police Department said that the meteorite could be related to the recent peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, but it is still unclear if the two events are related.
Smaller space rocks typically burn up and disintegrate when entering Earth's atmosphere, but larger rocks can make it to the surface of the planet. Space rocks that reach the surface of the Earth are called meteorites.
Contrary to popular belief, many meteorites that hit the ground are not hot enough to start a fire. According to the American Meteor Society, meteors like the one that fell in New Jersey may be warm when they hit the Earth, but "probably reach the ground at only slightly above ambient temperature."
Although it's extremely rare for a meteorite to hit a house, there have been several notable incidents in the past.
On Oct. 3, 2021, a softball-sized meteorite crashed through a house in British Columbia, Canada, landing in a bed just inches away from a woman who wasing.
One of the most famous meteorite crashes in recent U.S. history took place on Oct. 9, 1992, when a 26-pound space rock hit a car parked in a driveway in Peekskill, New York, just north of New York City. The vehicle became world famous and was on display in several museums, including France's National Museum of Natural History.
US 1 goes right thru the middle of it!.................
Thanks Red Badger.
...could be related to the recent peak of the Eta Aquarid meteor shower...
If you want to be really picayune about it if it hasn’t touched the ground it’s still a meteor.
At least it’s not...https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EuuJLvpnGIc&pp=ygU8dGhlIHJhaWxyb2FkIHJ1bnMgdGhyb3VnaCB0aGUgbWlkZGxlIG9mIHRoZSBob3VzZSBhbG1hIGNvZ2Fu
These days everyone always seems to be talking about “being in the present”. What’s wrong with a little wasing every once in a while? The past tense is underrated IMHO.
I would really hate to be that constipated.
Anyone have more recent info on the meteorite fall in eastern West Virginia a few years ago? I was at my country place when I was startled by a huge explosion. I thought it might be a very large blast at a quarry about 2 miles away. Next day everyone was talking about it at a community meeting. Reports here at that time did not make it sound so close to where I was, perhaps ten to 20 miles distant. Wow, was it loud.
“I can sooner believe that a couple of Yankee professors lied than rocks fall from the sky.” - Thomas Jefferson
Nice payout on that if they play their cards right...
Keep that positive attitude!
That's EXACTLY why I never was.
I always lie in bed to do my wasing. The bigger question is who was she wasing with?
To get through the shingles, the roof sheathing, attic insulation, ceiling sheetrock and still hit the oak hardwood floor do to that damage? That rock was really moving!
It coulda killed somebody. (especially if they were wasing where the rock hit)
Yikes! Checking my homeowners policy now for coverage.
Meteors usually hit the atmosphere doing about 50k mph.............
Look for an ‘Acts of God’ clause....................
It’s a lot more likely that it was a Bigfoot who are known to throw rocks.
Bigfoot?......In New Jersey?.....................
NWS: Meteor possibly exploded over West Virginia
The Jersey Devil ate all the bigfoots in NJ
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