The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

A METEOR shower near Grand Bahama lit up the sky Monday night and caused some homes to vibrate throughout the island.

Meteorologist Shayvonne Moxey-Bonamy reported that the incident occurred shortly after 10pm on Monday.

Many residents heard the loud boom and felt vibrations in their homes. Some reported this in the Lucaya, Freeport, and Eight Mile Rock areas. Persons also captured images of the slow-moving meteor falling towards the earth. The meteor was also seen in Florida.

Ms Moxey-Bonamy reported that the event was confirmed and deemed as a meteor shower by NASA.

“This is really not our area of expertise, so we look to NASA because they are a credible site,” she explained.

“It was deemed to be a meteor shower that burned up as it entered the earth’s atmosphere.”

People were able to capture images of it because it was moving relatively slower than most meteors actually move, she said.

“NASA estimated it to move at 38,000 mph when most of them tend to move 120,000 mph to 130,000 mph. So, that’s why there were so many good images from this particular one.”

Mrs Moxey-Bonamy said that the sound and boom heard in Grand Bahama and the vibrations were just the meteor breaking apart upon entering above the earth’s surface.

“It just exploded, it disintegrated in the air. It did not land on the ground,” she said.

She said reports indicated that it was a very small meteor, with a diameter estimated to be about two feet or so – less than the size of a basketball.

Mrs Bonamy said one person in Eight Mile Rock reported that he thought something had landed on his roof, and another resident in South Bahamia reported thinking the same thing.

“I heard the boom and then vibration, and it was just after 10pm,” she added.

Mrs Bonamy said that, according to reports, it might have broken off from a big asteroid.

“There was supposed to be a scheduled pass (of an) asteroid on the outer atmosphere of the Earth Monday morning.

“It is unclear if a piece of that scheduled asteroid that went by broke off, and got pulled into earth’s gravity, and came tumbling down toward the Earth’s surface.

“That is unclear, and there will be a further investigation as the days go by and when more concrete information comes out,” she said.