A massive fireball meteor was seen streaking across the sky above Lake Erie just after sundown on Monday (October 21st), as shown in videos. Witnesses from 10 different states, ranging from Michigan to North Carolina, reported seeing the bright meteor around 7 p.m. Eastern Time. The American Meteor Society (AMS) has received a total of 534 reports regarding this fiery space rock. Experts have analyzed the meteor’s path and determined that it likely ended its journey just off the coast of Erie, Pennsylvania.
The fireball was observed at an altitude of around 50 miles (80 kilometers), making it visible across multiple states in the U.S. and even in Canada, according to EarthSky. This particular fireball is one of the largest documented in recent months, as noted on the website.
The event was captured on video by witnesses such as Brad Hague and Ryan Connor, among others. The footage shows the bright fireball streaking across the sky, leaving a trail of light in its wake. It seems to have been a random occurrence and not related to the Taurid meteor shower that is currently active. The Taurids typically peak from late October to mid-November and can produce several visible events per hour, as reported by Space.com.
On Monday, the fireball traveled from west to east, initially appearing off the shore in Lake County, Ohio. The estimated trajectory mapped by the AMS indicates that it covered a distance of approximately 60 miles (100 km) above Lake Erie, which is the fourth-largest of North America’s five great lakes.
Fireballs are known for being exceptionally bright meteors, caused by space rocks entering Earth’s atmosphere and burning up in the process. While fireballs occur daily worldwide, they are considered a rare sight due to their fleeting nature and the fact that they are often obscured by daylight.
In a recent incident, a daytime fireball over New York City was witnessed by only a small number of people but was heard by hundreds due to a loud boom that traveled as far as New Jersey. Experts believe that the meteor generated the boom as it entered the Earth’s atmosphere.
Overall, the sighting of the fireball over Lake Erie provided a spectacular and awe-inspiring moment for those lucky enough to witness it firsthand. Fireballs serve as a reminder of the incredible phenomena that occur in our skies and the beauty of the natural world around us.