'Fireball' Meteor Caught On Camera Soaring Over North Carolina At 32,000 MPH
Brandon Warren Brandon Warren
It's not a bird, but a plane.
The American Meteor Society has released a video showing a fireball moving across North Carolina's sky last Friday.
NASA Meteor Watch reports that the phenomenon was observed over North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. It was one of many fireball sightings in the United States that night.
NASA's analysis showed that the meteor "skimmed North Carolina's coast," making it visible to sight-seekers 48 miles above the ocean at Jacksonville, N.C. It was also visible in the sky at 32,000mph.
According to the American Meteor Society, meteoroids usually enter Earth's atmosphere at speeds of 25,000-160,000 mph. However, they "rapidly accelerate" as they travel through atmosphere.
Brandon Warren/American Meteor Society YouTube
The fireball traveled 26 m through Earth's atmosphere before eventually disintegrating 28 m above Morehead City.
According to AMS, up to 150 people in Maryland, South Carolina and Virginia reported seeing a streaking flameball pass through their states.
Friday's fireball was captured on two videos. One video featured by AMS had more than 200,000 views.
What exactly is a fireball? Experts consider fireballs to be meteors with exceptional brightness that shine brighter than Venus.
Fireballs are most often seen at night by ground-based observers.
According to AMS, "Several thousand" fireball meteors are seen in Earth's atmosphere every day. The vast majority occur over unpopulated areas and oceans.
