The sounds being reported in California and Nevada are almost like the recent sky booms being heard all over the world in recent months with one exception. This time, objects were seen and even photographed and the phenomenon – at least for this case – turned out to be a deep space delivery compliments of the annual Lyrid Meteor Shower. Is this a clue to the recent phenomenon of unexplained sky sounds? Could the other incidents be connected to unscheduled constant meteor showers? And if so, why are more falling from the sky lately?
Each year somewhere between 37,000 and 78,000 tons of material fall to Earth from space. Most of this comes in the form of very small pea-sized bits of rock that quickly burn up in the atmosphere and disappear (more or less). It’s unknown how many objects fall on Earth on average large enough to actually impact the ground, but on average between 5 and 6 meteorites are recovered by scientists each year. The actual number could be as high as 500 solid objects actually reaching the ground. Of these, it’s safe to bet the ones that are large enough to hit are often moving with enough speed to make considerable noise.
Meanwhile, the seven foot diameter meteor spotted by dozens in California and as far east as Las Vegas, Nevada lit up even in the already bright sun as it streaked across the sky. Residents reported to various local news agencies that the object shook their houses and made them think their homes were coming down around them.
But does it explain all the sky noises being reported recently? The incidents shared a few elements in common, including a sudden unexplained burst of sound from an indeterminate location and shaking objects within the homes. Unfortunately for those looking for an explanation, many of the previous sky noises were more prolonged – even lasting several minutes. Furthermore, these other sky sounds were not accompanied by any apparent fireball. In the most recent case the fireball was very apparent even in broad daylight and was seen and even filmed from multiple angles.
Of course the meteor explanation has not entirely been ruled out by scientists looking for an explanation to the sky booming phenomenon. Other explanations have included ultrasonic jets and even Earthquakes, though each of these explanations carry with them their own problems.
Even the staple ultrasonic craft explanation still does not explain the prolonged nature of the noise or the fact that the sounds do not appear to cycle between very far away and very near. Instead, the sky booms reported this year have often been reported by individuals for prolonged periods to come from all around the witnesses, filling up the sky with noise like an orchestra fills up an auditorium.
Unfortunately, while the most recent incident doesn’t carry the same level of mystery with it as previous occurrences it still leaves much to be desired for a permanent explanation to the sky sound phenomenon. It seems this mystery – at least for now – remains unexplainable.