
A huge fireball streaked across the sky in Florida, and scientists have an explanation for what happened.
A gigantic fireball has been reported over Florida, which was captured on dashboard cameras on police cars in the area. Scientists think it is a very bright meteor, and it was seen by quite a few people: the American Meteor Society says that it got 150 reports so far about the fireball, which was spotted Monday night over a large area ranging from the panhandle to Key West.
It appears that the meteor traveled from the southeast to the northwest, and eventually blew up over the sea east of Anna Maria Island, which is a barrier island near Manatee County. It was mostly Floridians who spotted the fireball, but people in George and Alabama also reported seeing it.
The fireball would have been brighter thant he planet Venus in a dark sky. The Earth gets many fireballs each day, but most are unnoticed because they happened over oceans or inhabited regions, or they happen in daylight.
This was no ordinary meteor, however, with many reporting it to be brighter than the sun when it peaked in the atmosphere.
“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,” AMS says on its website. “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.”
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