More than 30 people in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi reported seeing the exceptionally bright meteor around 8 a.m. Wednesday, after hearing thunder in Claiborne County, Mississippi, and neighboring areas, NASA said Thursday. It was initially detected 87 kilometers (54 miles) up the Mississippi River near Alcorn, officials said.
The object, which scientists called a bolide, was moving southwest at a speed of 88,500 kilometers per hour (55,000 mph), breaking up as it descended into Earth’s atmosphere. It disintegrated about 55 kilometers (34 miles) over a swampy area north of the Louisiana community of Minorca.
A witness told the Vicksburg Post that she heard a loud noise and looked up and saw “an orange ball of fire the size of a basketball, with a white tail,” moving west toward the Mississippi River.
The Claiborne County Emergency Management Agency posted a message on Facebook confirming the reports and noting that the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station was not involved.
“Citizens of Claiborne County, local officials are aware of loud noise heard throughout the county,” the message said. “The Grand Gulf Nuclear Station was not involved in this event and the site is safe…there is no threat to the county and no action is necessary.”
The fireball’s fragmentation generated enough energy to generate disturbances that were felt on the ground, with rumbling and vibrations felt by people in the area, NASA said.
At its peak, the fireball was 10 times brighter than a full moon, NASA said.
“What struck me as unusual was that we had so few witnesses seeing it, considering the sky was so clear,” Cooke said. “More people heard it than saw it.”