The American Meteor Society has
received reports of a bright fireball meteor being seen over parts of
the Eastern Great Lakes region slightly after 10.35 pm on Tuesday 4 October 2016 Eastern Daylight Time (slightly after 2.35 am on Wednesday 5 October GMT). The majority of the reports came from the Canadian state of Ontario, but sightings were also reported from New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington DC, Michigan,
West Virginia, Delaware, Massachusetts, Virginia and Québec. A fireball is defined
as a meteor
(shooting star) brighter than the
planet Venus. These are typically caused by pieces of rock burning up in
the atmosphere, but can be the result of man-made space-junk burning up
on re-entry.
Animation of the 4 October fireball made using still photographs taken at the University of Toronto Scarborough Observatory. American Meteor Society.
Objects of this size probably enter the Earth's atmosphere several times
a year, though unless they do so over populated areas they are unlikely
to be noticed. They are officially described as fireballs if they
produce a light brighter than the planet Venus. It is possible that this object will have produced meteorites that reached
the surface (an object visible in the sky is a meteor, a rock that falls
from the sky and can be physically held and examined is a meteorite).
Witness reports can help astronomers to understand these events. If you
witnessed this fireball you can report it to the American Meteor Society here.
See also...
Fireball over Cyprus. The Cyprus Astronomical Society has reported a bright fireball meteor
over the island at about 1.00 am local time on Friday 9 September 2016.
The meteor is described as having a faint blue...
Fireball over North Carolina. The American Meteor Society has
received reports of a bright fireball meteor being seen over parts of
the southeast of North America slightly after 6.00 pm local time
(slightly after 11.00 pm GMT) on Thursday 8
September 2016.
The fireball was seen across most...
Fireball over Oregon. The American Meteor Society has
received reports of a bright fireball meteor being seen over much of
the northwest of North America at about 11.55 pm local time on Friday 2
September 2016 (about 6.55 am on Saturday 3 September GMT).
The fireball was...
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