Mystery Fireball
July 26, 2001
Provided by: GLOBE at Night
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster
The above animation shows what a fireball or bolide (very large meteor) might look like as it zips across the night sky. On Monday, about 6:00 p.m., a huge fireball was visible in broad daylight from the Carolinas to New York. Some reports indicated that a small portion of it may have landed near the Pennsylvania border with New York. A meteor that reaches the surfaces is a meteorite. So far, no one has come forward with a photo or video image, which is especially amazing since this is the most populated portion of the country, and it was witnessed by thousands of people. It's estimated that the hunk of rock or space debris that caused the fireball was larger than a basketball chair but smaller than a car.
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