A gigantic meteor that resulted in hundreds of phone calls to emergency dispatchers throughout Canada, New York and states along the eastern seaboard lit up the sky above the Great Lakes Wednesday night. The meteor was reported at around 10:30 p.m., and the American Meteor Society confirmed the reports in a statement, saying it landed in Cameron, New York near the Pennsylvania border.

The meteor was believed to have been traveling from the south to the north. Lots of reports came from areas as far away as Detroit in the west, New York City in the east, Washington, D.C. to the south and Ontario, Canada to the north. Most of the reports came from Toronto, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It gave people show int he Niagara Falls region, according to the society.

A fireball is a term for a bright meteor, generally brighter than a magnitude -4, about the same as the planet Venus. A bolide is a type of fireball that explodes with a big flash at the end.

“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,” reads a statement from the society. “A bolide is a special type of fireball which explodes in a bright terminal flash at its end, often with visible fragmentation. If you happen to see one of these memorable events, we would ask that you report it to the American Meteor Society, remembering as many details as possible. This will include things such as brightness, length across the sky, color, and duration (how long did it last), it is most helpful of the observer will mentally note the beginning and end points of the fireball with regard to background star constellations, or compass direction and angular elevation above the horizon.”