NASA Identifies Daytime Fireball Over Northeastern US as Meteor

NASA has identified a daytime fireball observed over northeastern parts of the United States on Tuesday as a meteor. The American Meteor Society received more than 200 eyewitness reports from Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and Connecticut. These reports, combined with data from public cameras, allowed analysts to determine the meteor's trajectory.

The meteor became visible approximately 48 miles above the Atlantic Ocean near Long Island. It traveled southwest at about 30,000 miles per hour, covering roughly 117 miles. The object disintegrated around 27 miles above Galloway, New Jersey, north of Atlantic City.

m. m. m. Witnesses described a bright flash overhead, and some observed multiple green fragments for several seconds. C. m. and shared it with NBC Philadelphia. m. and posted it to the public Pine Barrens Facebook Group.

“Here’s what looks like to be the meteor everyone’s talking about. Took this video as fast as I could today in Whiting at 2:34 PM. Heard the loud boom minutes later.”

Some witnesses reported hearing a loud boom shortly after the sighting. One commenter on Brucato's post mentioned hearing a very loud boom in Batsto, New Jersey, which startled their dog. A resident of Heathsville, Virginia, described the fireball moving from upper left to lower right and hearing a muffled boom.

A woman from Falls Church, Virginia, reported that the fireball flashed brightly after streaking across the sky for two to three seconds, with one or two smaller bright pieces breaking away before it faded. Meteors occur frequently but often go unobserved due to their appearance over oceans, remote areas, or during daylight hours.

Events visible to many people, such as this one, are less common, NASA stated. This sighting follows a 7-ton meteorite explosion over Medina County, Ohio, on March 17, which produced a sonic boom. Days later, a separate meteor event occurred in Texas.

No injuries or damage were reported from Tuesday's meteor.