In a different article, The Sikhote-Alin Meteorite was referred to as a “celebrity meteorite”. I lied.
The Peekskill Meteorite has all the characteristics of any modern day celebrity, having been photographed, videotaped, seen by millions on the internet and news media outlets…even wrecking a car as out-of-control Hollywood celebrities do. Doubt that? Search for the Peekskill Meteorite on YouTube; it’s worth the time to witness The Peekskill Meteorite’s journey across the American Eastern Coast.
The Peekskill Meteorite is extremely unique amongst meteorites in that it was witnessed and videotaped by thousands from Kentucky to Peekskill, New York, where its journey finally ended.
On October 9th 1992, The Peekskill Meteorite entered Earth’s atmosphere and began its descent trajectory over Kentucky, where it was first spotted and where scientists now say it first exploded. Video cameras didn’t record the fireball until it first appeared over West Virginia at 11:48 PM, at this point the meteorite was moving straight northeast, and would grease through the skies above Washington, D.C., then Maryland, and Pennsylvania for 30-40 seconds before crashing into the 1980 Chevy Malibu of Ms. Michelle Knapp in Peekskill, New York.
Ms. Michelle Knapp’s later went outside, only to find the far right corner of her Chevy Malibu trunk dented and smashed…with a 12.4 kg rock amidst the damage. Despite the certainty that there are other fragments of the Peekskill Meteorite out there (more than one piece of the Peekskill Meteorite was recorded in the sky), the fragment which crashed into Ms. Knapp’s car has been the only one recovered. This would prove to be a blessing in disguise, as Ms. Knapp sold the rock, now aptly named the Peekskill Meteorite, while selling the car itself for an estimated $30,000 to R.A. Langheinrich Meteorites. As of 2009, R.A. Langheinrich Meteorites has toured the world with this famous car, appearing on television and allowing people to pose with it.
In total, 17 video recordings of The Peekskill Meteorite’s journey were recorded and sold to various astronomy agencies, such as NASA.
Ironically, the Peekskill Meteorite itself is nothing special. The Peekskill Meteorite is considered to be a simple chrondite, greenish in color. Everyone generally agrees that if it weren’t for the special circumstances regarding Peekskill’s arrival, the Peekskill Meteorite itself wouldn’t be very noteworthy at all.