That loud boom and bright flash that woke many across Western New York early Wednesday? Scientists say it came from space.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A bright object streaking across the sky early Wednesday morning startled residents across Western New York.
May people reported loud booms and shaking homes around 5 a.m. Scientists say the phenomenon was almost certainly a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Videos captured by residents’ doorbell cameras showed the glowing object moving through the sky before many people heard a loud explosion-like sound. Some initially speculated about more unusual explanations.
Scientists describe the object as a “bolide,” an exceptionally bright meteor capable of producing an explosion as it moves through the atmosphere.
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Tim Collins, a research associate in astronomy at the Buffalo Museum of Science, explained that the object seen over Western New York was a meteor burning up as it entered Earth’s atmosphere.
“What we saw was a meteor, which is essentially a space rock that has entered Earth’s atmosphere, and it’s burning up and disintegrating as it gets through,” Collins said.
Many residents also reported hearing a loud boom moments after seeing the bright streak in the sky. Collins said that sound was likely caused by the meteor traveling faster than the speed of sound.
“Others had heard it, and the sound comes because that meteor is now coming back across the sound barrier, so it travels faster than the speed of sound,” Collins said. “So what you heard was a sonic boom.”
Collins said scientists will need several days to gather more precise data about the event, including the meteor’s track, altitude, and size.