Meteor hits

A meteor was reported heading from the southwest over Ireland and across to Scotland on Sept. 14 at 10 p.m., according to The U.K. Meteor Network. The meteor traveled 300 km above Wales before crashing into the Atlantic near Islay. There were approximately 1,200 sightings of the fireball, and some viewers claimed it resembled a firework. The U.K. Meteor Network determined that the fireball was caused by a small space rock (most likely one that broke off of an asteroid) entering earth’s atmosphere. The fireball looked greenish-white, and was seen burning through the air for about 20 seconds. The U.K Meteor Network reported that the meteor was likely to have fallen into the sea. 

Earthquake shakes Mexico

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake rattled Mexico’s central Pacific Coast on Sept. 19 at 1:05 p.m. The quake killed at least one person and resulted in building damage, according to Associated Press. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed there was no damage in the capitol, but power went out across Mexico City. The earthquake was large enough to trigger a “desert tsunami” 1,500 miles away in Armagosa Valley, Nevada. At The Devil’s Hole — the name for a cave covering a pool of water approximately 70 feet long and 10 feet wide — waves erupted up to four feet high, according to the National Park Service. This is the third large earthquake to occur in Mexico on the day of Sept. 19, with the previous ones hitting in 1985 and 2017. 

Queen Elizabeth II’s Funeral

Queen Elizabeth II was buried with her late husband, Prince Philip, on Sept. 19 at the King George VI Memorial Chapel in Windsor. There were 2,000 mourners at Westminster Abbey to witness the funeral and an additional 7.7 billion people viewing the funeral live on television, according to BBC reporters. In honor of the Queen, the United Kingdom had a moment of silence for two minutes at 11:58 a.m., and it was expected to be observed across the nation of 67 million people. The silence was broken by the singing of the U.K.’s national anthem, “God Save the King,” after 70 years of “God Save the Queen.” The new king, King Charles III, declared the day of the funeral a holiday so that citizens were able to view the ceremony and pay their respects.