Brilliant fireball lights up skies over Tennessee (video)

A meteor lit up the night sky over Tennessee and neighboring states late Sunday (June 7), sparking 120 fireball sightings across 12 different states and Canada. 

The fireball occurred at 9:42 p.m. EDT (0142 GMT) and blazed a trail over southern Ohio, according to a ground track by the American Meteor Society. It was visible for up to 3.5 seconds from as far south as South Carolina and as far north as Ontario, Canada, AMS reported.  

One witness video shows the fireball from Knoxville, Tennessee, as the meteor flares up in a dazzling streak and disappear seconds later.

Related: How to see the best meteor showers of 2020

A brilliant fireball lights up the night sky over Knoxville, Tennessee in this cell phone video captured from moving vehicle by witness Austin R. at 9:42 p.m. EDT (0142 GMT) on June 7, 2020.

A brilliant fireball lights up the night sky over Knoxville, Tennessee, in this cell phone video captured from a moving vehicle by witness Austin R. at 9:42 p.m. EDT on June 7, 2020 (0142 GMT June 8). (Image credit: Austin R./Amsmeteors.org ()

"Fireball caught over Knoxville, TN last night," AMS representatives wrote on Twitter alongside the video. "This fireball has been [seen] from IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, NC, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WV & Ontario!"

The video, which lasts about 2 seconds, was captured by witness Austin R. from a moving vehicle.

We're currently in between major meteor showers at the moment, with the Eta Aquarids of May behind us and August's Perseid meteor display still ahead. But there is still some general meteor activity to look out for. The AMS has a guide of current meteor forecasts from June 6 to June 12 here

Editor's note: If you captured a photo or video of Sunday night's fireball over the U.S. and would like to share it with Space.com, let us know! Send images and comments in to spacephotos@space.com

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Instagram

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Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.

  • I saw it from Massillon, OH. It was brilliant in the southern sky.
    Reply
  • peterparkerny
    I saw it tonight from Spain, it was a big light and I thought that shit would hit the earth because it was very close
    Reply
  • This was a meteorite, you can see brightly lit up debris fly up from the ground by the tree after it hits!!;)
    Reply