DATE/TIME4/8/2023 @ 1556 UTC4/8/2023
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LAT/LONG45.369249 • -67.516169
45.369249
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This apparent meteorite fall occurred at 11:56 AM local time on 08 April 2023, or 1556 UTC. Eyewitnesses report a fireball that was bright even in midday, followed by loud sonic booms near Calais, Maine.
This event is recorded in American Meteor Society eyewitness reports as number 2002 for the year 2023. Signatures from falling meteorites are seen in data from a single NOAA NEXRAD radar (KCBW, Houlton, ME). Four radar sweeps record signatures consistent with falling meteorites, seen at the time and location reported by eyewitnesses.
The first appearance of falling meteorites occurs at 15:57:43.5 UTC and an altitude of 7,440m above sea level. The last signature appeared at 16:02:23.7 UTC and 2,376m, for a total elapsed observation time of 4 minutes and 40 seconds. This observation time is relatively short, but may be because only one NEXRAD radar was within range of the fall. Meteorite masses calculated from the radar signatures range from 1.59g to 322g although larger masses may have fallen. Meteorites in this event fell directly into winds of up to ~100 mph, carrying smaller meteorites across the border into Canada.
This is the first radar-observed meteorite fall seen in Maine.