Shine bright! Flash that lit up the skies over 15 states was probably a random meteor, experts say
A flash that lit up the skies over parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio in the wee hours of Wednesday was probably a random meteor, an expert said.
Many social media users around the Pittsburgh area reported seeing a streaking fireball shortly after 4 a.m. It remained in the skies for a short time before disappearing from view.
A security camera at a property owned by Mark and Rosemary Sasala in New Lyme, Ohio, northwest of Pittsburgh, captured a brief, bright flash partially obscured by clouds around 4:20 a.m.
Many social media users around the Pittsburgh area reported seeing a streaking fireball shortly after 4am
The fireball remained in the skies for a short time before disappearing from view
Video taken from a dashcam showed the large object flying over Interstate 76 in Pennsylvania.
The American Meteor Society, a nonprofit group, said it received more than 320 reports of a bright fireball over Ohio. Robert Lunsford, a society official, said the fireball was most likely a random meteor not associated with any known meteor shower.
It takes an object only the size of a softball to create a flash as bright as the full moon, Lunsford said. This object was probably a bit larger, Lunsford said, but more analysis would be needed to determine its size.
The American Meteor Society, a nonprofit group, said it received more than 320 reports of a bright fireball over Ohio
It was most likely a random meteor not associated with any known meteor shower
The AMS shared in a release that while the event was mostly seen from Ohio, they also received reports of visuals seen from Washington DC, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Additionally, the trajectory of the fireball had it traveling from South East to North West. It ended its visible flight at some point over North Benton, Ohio.
According to the AMS, several thousand fireballs occur in the Earth's atmosphere each day. Most happen over oceans or uninhabited regions, and are also often masked by daylight.
The brighter the fireball, the more rare it is, the AMS shared.
The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said it was aware of the reports but had no information. Officials at the University of Pittsburgh's Allegheny Observatory did not immediately comment.
According to the AMS, several thousand fireballs occur in the Earth's atmosphere each day. Most happen over oceans or uninhabited regions, and are also often masked by daylight
