Fireball, brighter than moon, seen January 12 in U.S. East

From <----> earthsky.org/space

The American Meteor Society (AMS) says that hundreds of witnesses have filed reports of a large, bright, long-lasting fireball – an exceptionally bright meteor – seen over the U.S. East (New England) on Sunday evening, January 12, 2014. The time was 5:20 p.m. EST (2220 UTC).

According to the AMS: Witnesses reported the brightness greater than the full moon. The fireball was seen from primarily Connecticut, but witnesses from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island also reported seeing the fireball.

Bright fireball seen in U.S. East on January 12, 2014. Report your fireball sighting here. Image via American Meteor Society



From any one spot on Earth, it’s rare to see a meteor as bright as the moon. But meteors of this brightness are not uncommon, given the Earth as a whole. They result from chunks of space debris entering our atmosphere. In recent years, due to increasing interconnectivity between people, we hear about these meteors more often! Bottom line: The U.S. East was treated to a large, bright fireball – as bright as the moon, according to reports – on Sunday evening, January 12, 2014.

source and credit to earthsky.org