Peekskill Meteorite — The Meteorite Videotaped Crashing to Earth
H6
Peekskill, New York
On October 9, 1992, in Peekskill, NY, Michelle Knapp's parked car was struck by a 12-kg meteorite, contrary to the initial police report which indicated that the hole in the car was the result of vandals. The descent of the Peekskill fireball was videotaped in several cities across the Northeastern United States; cameras focused on Friday night high school football games turned skyward to capture the rocketing fireball. Only a handful of meteorite falls have been caught on film—and none have been captured from as many angles as Peekskill.
There are less than two dozen collisions involving meteorites and cars on record, and this is the first and only meteorite with such a dual pedigree. A portion of the meteorite (and the car) has been on exhibit at several major museums.
Specimens of Peeskill are difficult to obtain and this is a fine partial slice, with filigreed shock veins coursing through its pale matrix and a rim of sought-after fusion crust (a typically dark external shell caused by a meteorite burning in the atmosphere).
This encrusted partial slice is accompanied by two pieces of the smashed taillight of Knapp’s car as supplied by Ray Meyer, one of the three original purchasers of the meteorite. In addition, this lot includes a compilation of home videos capturing Peekskill’s Friday night touchdown—among the most widely used footage by the media to illustrate a fireball just prior to impact.(4) 53 x 29 x 6mm (2 x 1 x 0.25in) and 23.2 grams.
