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HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) – Late Sunday night, a home security camera captured this incredible sight. It is a fireball flying very brightly in the sky shortly after midnight.
Usually, when there is a bright fireball, it can be seen for hundreds of miles, and often across several states. According to the American Meteor Society (yes, that’s right!), There were over 200 reports most of which were concentrated in Pennsylvania. Other reports have come from as far away as Ohio, Connecticut, Toronto and North Carolina.
What’s even more interesting is that there were four reports of fireballs this weekend.
Many videos have been shared on social networks. To be honest, this video (the one above) is the first one someone sent me from our area.
- The American company Meteor reports that the fireball was moving northwest at 51,000 miles per hour.
- The fireball traveled 38 miles through the atmosphere before fragmenting over the town of Newburg, Pennsylvania.
- The cause was an asteroid fragment weighing 7 pounds and about 5 inches in diameter.
This video below is from Arlington, VA.
A fireball is a meteor brighter than the planet Venus. So that’s just another name for a really big meteor. How often does this happen?
The American Meteorological Society claims that several thousand fireballs occur every day! However, with the majority of our planet in the form of water, many of these fireballs are not seen. It is also quite rare to see one in daylight, of course the brighter it is the better the chances.
Here is a February 2020 daytime fireball.
AMS says the brighter the fireball, the rarer it is.
Have you ever spotted one? If you do, you can report it. Remember as much detail as possible about the direction and brightness. Here is the link to report one:
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