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Video of the meteor crashing to Earth on Saturday afternoon off the coast of Massachusetts.Dan Wilcox<\/p>\nThe energy released was staggering, the equivalent of about 300 tons of exploding dynamite. Sonic booms from meteors usually occur much higher in our atmosphere, making Saturday\u2019s jarring event exceptionally rare.<\/p>\n
Video of the meteor crashing to Earth on Saturday afternoon off the coast of Massachusetts.Dan Wilcox<\/p>\n
Meteors burn up and disintegrate as they travel through the outer atmosphere, and satellites were able to pick up the flash. At the same time, local radar was able to pick up a debris signature closer to the surface, meaning there is a good chance that there is a meteorite or pieces of space rock somewhere at the bottom of Cape Cod Bay. <\/p>\n
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Satellite and radar imagery capturing the meteor crashing into Cape Cod Bay.NOAA<\/p>\n
There are still many questions that need answers, and many of you asked some truly great questions. I appreciate all of you reaching out via email, Instagram, and other channels to understand what happened and what this all means. <\/p>\n
I\u2019ve compiled the list of questions and broken down my thoughts on them. But wow, what a remarkable event that was, however unsettling in the moment. Now, let\u2019s get to it: <\/p>\n
Q: What stands out to you about this particular meteor? <\/p>\n
A: Having this meteor crash close to home is obviously startling. We just don\u2019t really see this kind of stuff. Meteors of this magnitude pass through Earth\u2019s atmosphere a couple of times per year, and the odds of a space rock crashing close to home are so small, it\u2019s hard to believe it actually happened. <\/p>\n
That said, what stands out about this meteor is the nearly 90-degree angle at which it entered the atmosphere. It was a near-direct, head-on hit, according to the imagery that I\u2019ve observed. If the angle of entry to our atmosphere were larger, the meteor would have had to pass (and burn) through more atmosphere, and we may not have even known it happened at all. Instead, this meteor basically dropped from directly above. <\/p>\n
Think about skipping a stone across a pond versus dropping the same stone straight down; the impact in the water is deeper and wider with the straight drop. <\/p>\n
Q: Where did this meteor come from? Is it rogue or part of a meteor shower?<\/p>\n
A: Good question. Now I\u2019m definitely not a NASA astronomer, but I\u2019m starting to lean toward the theory that this meteor was part of the annual meteor shower that peaks in early May \u2014 Eta Aquarids, the debris field left behind by Halley\u2019s Comet that enters our orbit every spring. <\/p>\n
The Eta Aquarids usually have more fireball or bolide meteors, and this could have very well been part of that group. <\/p>\n
Q: Why wasn\u2019t this predicted? <\/p>\n
A: It\u2019s really difficult to spot individual meteors, especially when they approach Earth at extraordinary speed. Even though this meteor was around three feet wide, it was still too small or faint to be discovered and tracked before it entered our atmosphere. <\/p>\n
As a meteorologist, you can think of it this way: we didn\u2019t \u201cforecast\u201d the meteor. We diagnosed it after the fact using satellite flashes, lightning-mapper data, radar signatures, eyewitness reports, and eventually NASA\u2019s analysis.<\/p>\n
Within an hour or two, the evidence was already pointing strongly toward a bolide, but nobody knew that specific meteor was coming before it arrived. <\/p>\n
Space is exceptionally large, and our satellites can\u2019t capture everything as they circle the Earth, so this one slipped through the window.<\/p>\n
Q: Can we find space rocks on the beaches over the next couple of weeks?<\/p>\n
A: There is a very good chance that some meteorites are in Cape Cod Bay, roughly about 10 miles off the coast. Meteorites are simply meteors that reach land or sea. They are made of heavy minerals and metal that likely sank to the bottom of the bay, which ranges between 60 and 100 feet deep. <\/p>\n
This means it\u2019ll be tough for bits of meteorite to wash ashore, and NASA actually suggested using a magnet at the end of a 100-foot rope or chain for boaters hoping to find fragments. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ll see, maybe a large storm will kick up the deeper ocean water in the coming weeks! <\/p>\n
Q: Does climate change make meteors worse? Can we see thee more often?<\/p>\n
A: Good question. It does look like that as our atmosphere warms, the air becomes less dense, meaning meteors encounter less friction during atmospheric entry. In other words, a warmer atmosphere means it takes longer for a meteor to burn up and break apart. <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen the number of larger meteor events increase around the world over the last 30 years, but we have to keep in mind that our ability to report and track meteors has increased as well. <\/p>\n
All in all, I\u2019d say the warming atmosphere may make a slight difference in terms of the larger meteors lasting longer, but we don\u2019t have enough conclusive data. There\u2019s so much more that goes into it. We have other layers of the atmosphere, we have the angle of entry, and we have the frequency of return for debris fields. We\u2019re not at a point where we can definitively say this is going to occur more; some of it is chance. <\/p>\n
But keep in mind that a slight change is still significant in terms of impact when it comes to meteors. Imagine if this meteor landed in Boston instead of the water. <\/p>\n
Q: What\u2019s the difference between a meteor or meteorite?<\/p>\n
A: It\u2019s really simple \u2014 a meteor is a shooting star that enters Earth\u2019s atmosphere, and if it reaches the ground or sea, then it becomes a meteorite. <\/p>\n
Q: How far was the meteor from making landfall? And if it had, would that have altered our experience?<\/p>\n
A: The meteor came down about 10 to 15 miles off the Massachusetts coast in Cape Cod Bay. And even though the remaining meteorite(s) are likely very small, a ping pong ball or smaller, that could have been very dangerous if it came down in the city.<\/p>\n
Traveling faster than a bullet, it would have easily cause bodily harm if a person was struck or smash through a roof or window of a building. <\/p>\n
Have a question on the meter or another weather topic that you\u2019d like to ask the Globe weather team or want us to cover? <\/p>\n
Let us know what\u2019s on your mind! To send in a question or comment, email weather@globe.com<\/a> or fill out the form below. Please include your name and hometown.<\/p>\n You can also stay in touch with the weather team by signing up here<\/a> to receive our daily Globe Weather HQ Forecast<\/a> that will arrive straight into your inbox bright and early each weekday morning.<\/p>\n Ken Mahan can be reached at ken.mahan@globe.com<\/a>. Follow him on Instagram @kenmahantheweatherman<\/a>.<\/p>\n