A meteorite that rattled New England homesand caused an explosive “double boom” plunged into the middle of Cape Cod Bay, according to experts.
The meteorite fragmented just after 2 p.m. on Saturday, roughly 40 miles above northeast Massachusetts and southeast New Hampshire, NASA posted on social media.
The energy released when the space rock broke up was “equivalent to about 300 tons of TNT” — accounting for the massive boom that spooked residents, the space agency wrote in a statement.
After puncturing the atmosphere, the meteorite fell into the middle of Cape Cod Bay in an event dubbed a “fishy squisher,” officials said.
The meteorite, which plunged into 100 feet of water, is likely strongly attracted to a magnet, offering an opportunity for a space-rock excavator to reach it with a long rope.
“Most meteorites are strongly attracted to a magnet, and these ones are within reach of a 100′ length of rope dangled off of a boat. In case anyone is interested in such factoids,” NASA said.
The phenomenon was observed from Delaware toMontreal and caused a spike in reports to the US Geological Survey, which registered the shaking with the National Earthquake Information Center.
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