Did a Piece of Halley’s Comet Just Crash Through the Roof of a Home in New Jersey?

 (Image Credit: Hopewell Township, New Jersey Police Department)

Did a Piece of Halley’s Comet Just Crash Through the Roof of a Home in New Jersey?

A metallic object believed to be a meteorite struck the roof of a residence on Old Washington Crossing-Pennington Road in Hopewell Township, Mercer County, New Jersey according to a Civic Alert filed by the Hopewell Township Police Department. The ranch style home was occupied at the time but there were no injuries reported. The object is described as approximately 4 inches by 6 inches, is oblong in shape, and appears metallic. It penetrated the roof, the ceiling, and then impacted the hardwood floor before coming to a rest.   

The Hopewell Township Police Department has contacted several agencies for assistance in positively identifying the object and safeguarding the residents and the object. This may be related to a current meteor shower called the Eta Aquarids. The investigation is on-going.

Like most meteor showers, the annual Eta Aquarids are caused by the debris of a comet that once crossed Earth's path. In this case, it's the famous Halley's Comet. This comet visits the inner Solar System every 75 or 76 years, but the associated meteor shower is an annual event. The last time it passed close to Earth was 1986. It will be back again in 2061.

If this object can be positively identified as an Eta Aquarids meteorite, then we’ll be able to touch and examine an actual piece of Halley’s Comet.

For more information:

https://www.hopewelltwp.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1195

https://www.planetary.org/articles/your-guide-meteor-shower

https://astromart.com/news/show/nasa-says-largest-comet-ever-detected-is-heading-this-way-but-it-is-not-a-threat-to-earth

https://astromart.com/news/show/tastes-great-less-filling-is-it-an-asteroid-or-a-comet-its-actually-both

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