NASA Puzzled by Five Fireballs Over America in One Night

One of the two flew through the upper atmosphere at 32,000 miles per hour.
Alert for Fireballs

NASA's Meteor Watch confirmed sightings last Friday night of at least five fireballs flying through the evening sky above the US.

Meteor Watch posted on Facebook that at least 80 eyewitnesses reported seeing a huge fireball flying over North Carolina's coast. It became visible around 7:40 PM.

After traveling 26 miles through the upper atmosphere, at 32,000 mph, the giant space rock finally disintegrated. The Facebook post does not indicate whether the meteor formed multiple smaller fireballs or if one meteor fell apart. It is a stunning sight for anyone who was able to see the night sky at the right moment.



The Art of Burning Up

It is still unclear what the fireballs trajectories will be.

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NASA's post explains that there is more uncertainty than usual in the trajectory solution because all observers are located west of the fireball.

Up to 150 fireball reports were received in Maryland, South Carolina and Virginia.

Meteor Watch has a video that shows one of these fireballs glowing brightly in the distant sky. The American Meteor Society also shared several other videos.

Burn so Bright

According to the American Meteor Society, fireballs are extremely bright meteors that shine brighter than Venus in the night sky.

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According to the American Meteor Societys FAQ about fireballs, several thousand meteors of fireball size occur each day in Earth's atmosphere. However, the vast majority of them occur above oceans and uninhabited areas, and many are obscured by daylight.

READ MORE: NASA reports numerous fireballs hurling through the sky above US [The Hill]



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