Fireball traveling 47,000 mph lights up sky over North Carolina and Tennessee
A small asteroid fragment entered the atmosphere over North Carolina and Tennessee, creating a bright fireball visible to residents. NASA tracked the object using specialized sky cameras and determined it was a two-inch piece of space rock.
Why it matters
The event provides valuable data for astronomers studying meteor activity and atmospheric entry, while highlighting the effectiveness of NASA's monitoring networks.
A meteor lit up skies over parts of North Carolina and Tennessee on Thursday night, zooming by at 47,000 mph, according to NASA. Eyewitnesses have shared numerous photographs on social media of the fireball, which initially sprang into view about 50 miles above the North Carolina town of Robbinsville. NASA said the meteor was also captured by its specialized imaging systems — called sky cameras — which were stationed throughout the region. Those cameras tracked the fireball as it proceeded to travel westward into southern Tennessee, eventually dissipating once it reached a spot about 25 miles above the city of East Ridge, near Chattanooga.
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