A meteorite crashed through the roof of a New Jersey home while the owners were inside, according to officials.
The Hopewell Township Police Department says that the “metallic object” was found after it smashed into the house on Monday afternoon.
The object measured 6 inches by 4 inches and came to rest on the home’s wooden floor. No one was injured in the incident.
“HTPD has contacted several other agencies for assistance in positively identifying the object and safeguarding the residents and the object,” the force said in a statement. “This may be related to a current Meteor shower called the Eta Aquariids. The investigation is ongoing.”
The Eta Aquariid meteor shower peaked on 6 May but is still in progress. The meteors in the shower are debris left behind in the wake of the famed Halley’s Comet
It returns around every 75 years and was last seen in 1986. It’s expected to be back in 2061.
Experts say that several hundred to a thousand meteors hit the ground on Earth every year, with most weighing under one pound.
Most meteorites are not recovered because they land in the ocean or in remote parts of the planet, according to the Planetary Science Institute.
Around five per cent of meteors are iron while 95 per cent are stones.
