Several eyewitnesses across the U.S. spotted the moment when a meteor hit Earth and created a bright fireball in the atmosphere. According to a video captured by one of the eyewitnesses, the meteor produced a powerful explosion that was bright enough to turn night into day for a couple of seconds.
The eyewitnesses reported the fireball incident through the site of the American Meteor Society (AMS). In total, 83 individuals from different states across the country witnessed the event.
Meteor Sighting Over The US
According to the reports compiled by the AMS, the fireball event happened on May 22 at around 2:50 a.m. EDT. The event was visible in various states, including Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana. A couple of eyewitnesses from Canada also saw the fireball incident.
As noted by the eyewitnesses the, fireball produced by the object appeared in the sky for a couple of seconds. Its magnitude ranged from -10 to -30, making it significantly brighter than the planet Venus. Several eyewitnesses noted that the fireball produced a loud thunder-like sound as it streaked across the sky. When it exploded, it created a louder booming noise.
Video Of Fireball Explosion
A video captured by an eyewitness named Beth T. from Spokane Valley, Washington, showed the fireball as it flew across the sky and exploded before hitting the ground. As seen in the video, the object's explosion produced a bright flash that briefly illuminated its surroundings. According to other eyewitnesses, the flash from the explosion was as bright as lightning.
"It lit up the entire sky and my whole property like lightning where the entire landscape was drenched in white light," an eyewitness named Darrel D. stated in a report. "But the boom went on for over 25 seconds, which made me believe it was no lighting at all."
Identifying Bolides
Based on the video and the reports by eyewitnesses, it seems the object that appeared in the sky was a bolide, which is a type of meteor fireball that produces a bright terminal flash as it explodes. Also, as noted by the other eyewitnesses, they saw the object break apart into multiple fragments after it exploded.
"A fireball is another term for a very bright meteor, generally brighter than magnitude -4, which is about the same magnitude of the planet Venus in the morning or evening sky," the AMS explained. "A bolide is a special type of fireball which explodes in a bright terminal flash at its end, often with visible fragmentation."
