A loud boom that shook the Meadowlands in northern New Jersey and parts of New York City was likely a meteor, NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office said in a statement.
The fireball may have flown about 49 miles above Upper Bay near Greenville Yard in Jersey City, according to NASA Meteor Watch.
Social media was full of reports from area residents alarmed by either the boom and/or the fireball streak ripping through the sky.
The fireball may have flown at about 34,000 miles per hour and passed over the Statue of Liberty, according to The American Meteor Society website.
The X1.9 (R3-Strong) flare peaked at 9:26 a.m. EDT and was likely associated with radio signatures that suggest the involvement of a coronal mass ejection (CME), according to government reports. It disintegrated 29 miles above Midtown, Manhattan at roughly 11:17 a.m.
“The geomagnetic field is likely to continue at quiet levels through early July 17. Unsettled-to-active levels are expected late on July 17 into July 18 due to high-speed solar wind from a coronal hole,” EarthSky said.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory watches the Sun constantly and said solar flares are powerful bursts of energy.
“Flares and solar eruptions can impact radio communications, electric power grids, and navigation signals,” NASA said.
The Meadowlands Metropolitan Area has been hit with unusual phenomena this year. Two earthquakes along the Ramapo Fault in northern New Jersey measured 4.8 and 4.0 on the Richter scale. The unprecedented quake shook buildings across the Meadowlands region and all five boroughs in New York City.
The tremors occurred several days before the April 8 solar eclipse over much of the northeastern United States.
Learn more about space weather and its possible effects on Earth at NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center, which is the U.S. government’s official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, and alerts.
