Scientists confirmed Thursday that a loud boom preceded a fireball spotted in three states.
There were more than 30 people in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi who saw a bright object in the sky. NASA reported that they heard loud booms in Claiborne County, Mississippi. It was first seen above the Mississippi River near Alcorn, Mississippi.
"This is one of the nicer events I have seen in the GLM data," said Bill Cooke, lead of NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office at Marshall Space Flight Center.
The bolide broke into pieces as it descended deeper into Earth's atmosphere after moving southwest at a speed of 55,000 miles per hour. It fell over a swampy area north of the unincorporated community of Minorca in Louisiana.
One witness told the Vicksburg Post that she heard a loud noise and then looked up and saw an orange fireball the size of a basketball, with a white tail behind it.
The Claiborne County Emergency Management Agency confirmed the reports on their Facebook page and said that the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station was not involved.
The site of the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station was not involved in the loud sound heard in Claiborne County. There is no threat to the county.
NASA said that the fireball created enough energy to create shockwaves that spread to the ground, producing booms and vibrations for people in the area.
The fireball was 10 times brighter than a full moon at its peak.
The skies were so clear that few people heard it.
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