A bright fireball illuminated the sky across ten states on Saturday night, according to NASA Meteor Watch and reports filed with the American Meteor Society (AMS).
The event occurred at 9:08 p.m. and was visible from Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New Hampshire, North Carolina, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. More than 100 eyewitnesses reported seeing a greenish-colored meteor blaze through the atmosphere, according to AMS data.
The meteor was first detected approximately 50 miles above Mamaroneck, a suburb of New York City, traveling east of north at a speed of 38,000 miles per hour. It ultimately disintegrated 30 miles above Norven Green State Forest in New Jersey after a 37-mile journey through the upper atmosphere, according to NASA Meteor Watch.
Local reports came from residents of Falls Township, Middletown Township, Newtown Township, and the City of Lambertville.
“It was so beautiful,” noted one Middletown Township observer in their AMS report.
NASA said that Saturday’s fireball was not associated with any active meteor showers.
The weekend fireball marked the second such sighting in just a few days.
The first fireball was spotted last Wednesday around 3:35 a.m. streaking across the East Coast sky, including above Bucks County, according to AMS reports.
Sky-watchers won’t have to wait long for more display, as the Lyrid meteor shower is set to begin Monday evening.
According to NASA, it is expected to peak with the highest number of shooting stars late April 22 into the early hours of April 23.
“The Lyrids are known for their fast and bright meteors,” according to NASA experts. “Lyrids don’t tend to leave long, glowing dust trains behind them as they streak through the Earth’s atmosphere, but they can produce the occasional bright flash called a fireball.”
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