Reports of a fireball across the Midwest captured on video
Footage appears to show a fireball flying across the sky. Witnesses reported sights from North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan and New York.
A large fireball lit up the skies over large portions the U.S. and Canada Monday evening.
The American Meteor Society reported 436 sightings of the fireball, which was seen from northern Michigan to North Carolina, and Kentucky to western New York, around 7 p.m. Monday. The fireball’s trajectory was from west to east over Lake Erie.
More: Orionids meteor shower hits peak activity this weekend: When and where to watch
Numerous photos and videos captured the bright streak of light, which was visible for several seconds as it zoomed across the sky.
A busy week for stargazers
Monday evening was also the peak of the Orionid meteor shower, which are active from Sept. 26 from Nov. 22 this year.
The meteors, widely considered by astronomers to produce the most beautiful shower of the year, whizz at about 148,000 mph into Earth’s atmosphere at their peak, leaving glowing trains of debris in their wake that can last for several seconds or even multiple minutes, NASA says. When moving fast enough, the meteors can also produce fireballs that appear as prolonged explosions of light.
Eric Lagatta contributed to this report.
Max Hauptman is a Trending Reporter for USA TODAY. He can be reached at MHauptman@gannett.com