Fireball spotted in Texas skies
Nearly 200 sightings of a bright fireball were reported across the evening sky on Tuesday, primarily from witnesses in Texas and surrounding states.
AUSTIN – There were nearly 200 reported sightings of a fireball that appeared across the sky on Tuesday evening. Most stargazers who saw the fireball were in Texas, but there were reports from Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Kansas.
Colorful fireball seen across multiple states
What we know:
It was spotted in Central Texas around 6:45 p.m.
The American Meteor Society (AMS) recorded the event as 9570-2025.
What they’re saying:
One person reported from Nocona, Texas saying, “I have witnessed multiple meteor showers and rocket launches. This was not a rocket. And was by far the biggest, brightest, fastest thing I’ve ever seen in the sky.”
A person in Oak Point, Texas reported, “We had just turned out of my son’s school parking lot heading west when this fireball dropped straight down out of the sky in front of us. It was large, bright, and glowing blue-green-white. It moved slower than a typical shooting star but still fast, and it was incredibly beautiful, it took our breath away. My husband and I both gasped out loud. Our kids were in the backseat and only heard us ‘aww’ but didn’t see it. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”
Another person, in Mustang, OK, said “I saw a green one with a long trail going straight east from Leesburg, Virginia 20175 on Nov 5, 2015, but this is only the second one I’ve ever seen, and it was bright white going straight down.”
Each year since 2005, the American Meteor Society receives hundreds of fireball reports.
What is a fireball?
According to AMS, 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. A bolide is a special type of fireball which explodes in a bright terminal flash at its end, often with visible fragmentation.
Where do I report a fireball or bright meteor?
The easiest way to report a fireball is to utilize the AMS online form.
Information on reporting fireballs is also provided by the International Meteor Organization Fireball Data Center (FIDAC).
The Source: Information in this article is from
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