A meteor hit the east side of Missouri on the night of November 12, moving at 44,000 miles per hour. The meteor, which was seen by people in eight different states, is believed to have entered the atmosphere somewhere over Troy, Missouri. 

“I heard a big boom and my house shook. The sky turned bright for a split second. I had no idea what was going on until I checked social media,” senior Abby Island said.

It is estimated the meteor was traveling more than 44,000 miles per hour, which is much, much faster than the speed of sound (around 770 MPH). The result was a sonic boom, that rattled windows and could be felt for miles. .

The meteor was going so fast that the pressure of the air against the rock created so much heat, the outer layers were quickly vaporized, according to an article from KMOV4. 

“My whole house shook, but I didn’t think much of it. I thought the flashing light was my mom turning on the porch lights,” sophomore Stephen Gooding said. 

Washington University assistant professor of physics Ryan Ogliore believes the meteor traveled about 30 to 40 miles west before slowing down enough to stop burning and fall to the ground, possibly around Wellsville.

“It was so sudden and unexpected, it took me by surprise,” junior Alanna Espinoza said. 

Finding meteorite is rare, only about 24 confirmed meteorites have been found in Missouri since 1839, according to a website maintained by Randy Korotev, a meteorite researcher who recently retired from Washington University.

The Alpha Monocerotids meteor shower is expected to have an outburst of meteors about 10:30 p.m. Nov. 21. The Geminids meteor shower is expected to peak at about 8 p.m. Dec. 13, according to the St. Louis Post Dispatch.