A meteor blazing across the southeastern Tennessee sky traveled at roughly 47,000 miles per hour before disintegrating 25 miles above the Earth’s surface, NASA reported.
The cosmic debris was first spotted above Robbinsville, North Carolina, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The fragment then covered about 120 miles toward East Ridge, Tennessee, in under 10 seconds.
NASA’s All Sky Fireball Network tracked the object using four black-and-white video cameras equipped with fisheye lenses, Local 3 News reported. The cameras recorded the rock starting its descent 53 miles above Robbinsville.
#MeteorSighting: Several witnesses reported sighting a fireball over southern Tennessee yesterday evening, Nov. 5, at 7:45 p.m. EST. The meteor was also detected by four NASA All Sky cameras in the region. The object – a small piece of an asteroid 2 inches in diameter, weighing 6… pic.twitter.com/ePD5XDYmuM
Starlust.org noted that despite the extreme velocity of 47,000 mph, witnesses reported no audible booms when the rock disintegrated over East Ridge.
The resulting light show came from an asteroid fragment measuring just 2 inches in diameter and weighing 6 ounces, NASA confirmed on social media. Charlotte Observer reported that the parent body belonged to rocky, airless remnants dating back to the early formation of the solar system about 4.6 billion years ago.
Witnesses on Reddit described the streak as glowing blue, white, and orangish yellow, with one calling it the “biggest ball of fire” they had ever seen. Another observer in Chattanooga reported hearing a sound like a lighter’s “poof” as the rock passed overhead.
The fireball appeared on the evening of November 5, coinciding closely with the peak of the Southern Taurid meteor shower. However, NASA clarified that the object was entirely unrelated to the Taurids.
Skywatchers may see additional fireballs when the Northern Taurid meteor shower peaks on the nights of November 11 and 12, according to Starlust.org.
No damage or impact was reported. The 6-ounce rock completely disintegrated at an altitude of 25 miles above East Ridge, Tennessee, according to NASA.
FIREBALL TEARS ACROSS U. S. SKY AT 47,000 MPH — NASA CONFIRMS! A brilliant FIREBALL streaked across North Carolina and Tennessee. NASA tracked the asteroid fragment with FOUR cameras. But here’s the twist: despite the active Taurid meteor shower, NASA says this object was NOT… pic.twitter.com/XKOYK4ZaqW
NASA cameras calculated the speed at approximately 47,000 miles per hour as it crossed from North Carolina into Tennessee.
No, NASA officials explicitly stated that the fragment was an independent piece of space debris and not connected to the Taurids.
Meteor – described as 'Biggest ball of fire' by shocked witnesses – lights up sky over Tennessee, NASA says https://t.co/c847O6BNp9 pic.twitter.com/MS0NQUeVgK
Worth a look