A clear blast of light illuminated the skies over the eastern U.S. on Saturday when a meteor penetrated the atmosphere off the coast of North Carolina. The blast was so large that it could be seen in three different states – Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina – as well as Washington DC.
Footage of the event was captured by a security camera in the garden.
The film shows how the night of the night suddenly becomes bright as a streak of light darts through the sky.
Dozens of people went to the International Meteorological Organization (IMO) to report their views.
Mary told the IMO: ‘It looked so big and close. I waited after it passed and believed I would hear something but did not hear.
A person who called himself just LA said, ‘I was driving and it lit up the sky more than highway lights. ‘
Tommy added: ‘I was driving to work this morning (it was dark) and saw a fast, clear streak in the sky.
“It was fast, but beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Kristal said: ‘It looked big, very close to the earth and bright.
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“These bright meteors are what we call fireballs, and they often arouse fear and awe for those who witness them.”
Perhaps the most famous fireball in modern history was when a meteor exploded over Chelyabinsk in 2013.
The blast, caused by a 20m meteorite, was so powerful that it smashed windows throughout the city and injured more than 1,000 people.
In 1908, a small asteroid surprised the earth when it exploded over Siberia’s Tunguska and flattened the forest field over 800 km.
The explosion was so powerful that it was equivalent to 30 megatons of TNT at an altitude of 10 to 15 km.