Watch: Massive fireball wows onlookers in four states
A massive fireball was seen streaking across parts of Tennessee, Virginia and the Carolinas Friday, stunning onlookers who happened to catch a glimpse.
The American Meteor Society received more than 150 reports of people seeing and hearing the event: NASA later classified it as a "very bright" fireball, something you don’t see very often, according to FOX Weather.
Dashcam footage captured by Glenn Sparks shows a bright object streaking across the sky over Interstate 40 in northeast Tennessee. It got brighter and illuminated the sky as it traveled.
"Just saw the most amazing meteor of my life here in Tennessee," Sparks wrote on Facebook. "It lit up the sky for over 10 seconds with multiple explosions along the way. Absolutely gorgeous."
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Security cameras in southwest Virginia also captured the fireball. Video from Big Stone Gaps shows the same object flashing as it moves through the sky.
"My husband watched it happen from the window, but wasn’t sure what it was, so we rolled the cameras back and found it," Marissa South told Storyful.
Fireball over I-40 in Tennessee (Glenn Sparks via Storyful)
Fewer than 5% of meteors survive their plunge through Earth’s atmosphere to become meteorites, FOX Weather reports, but NASA believes some pieces of Friday’s fireball may have fallen to the ground.
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If anyone comes across space matter in the area, they’re asked to report it to Appalachian State’s Geology Department at loveab@appstate.edu or 828-262-6952.
An estimated 500 meteorites reach Earth’s surface each year, but fewer than a dozen are ever recovered.