NASA Says Bright Meteor Lit Up the Night Sky Over Tennessee

A meteor that blazed across the sky over southeastern Tennessee on Thursday was a fragment of an asteroid burning up in Earth’s atmosphere, NASA said. One witness described it as the “biggest ball of fire” they had ever seen.

The fireball was first detected over Robbinsville, North Carolina, at about 7:45 p.m. It was traveling through the atmosphere at roughly 47,000 miles per hour, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

The space rock then covered about 120 miles toward East Ridge, Tennessee, in less than 10 seconds before breaking apart roughly 25 miles above Earth’s surface.

Witnesses posting on Reddit said the meteor streaked across the night sky in flashes of blue, white and orangish yellow. One person called it the “biggest ball of fire” they had ever seen, the newspaper reported.

A witness in Chattanooga said the rock’s passage was accompanied by a sound resembling the “poof” of a lighter. The meteor also left behind what the witness described as “the most insane tail.”

Despite the spectacular display, NASA confirmed Friday that the fireball came from a fragment only about two inches across and weighing less than half a pound.

NASA’s All Sky Fireball Network recorded the asteroid from several directions with a series of black-and-white cameras fitted with fisheye lenses, according to the local newspaper.

Using data from that camera network, the agency calculated the fireball’s altitude and speed.

NASA officials also said the meteor was not associated with the Taurid meteor shower, which is generally active throughout November and is known for producing bright meteors.