A fiery meteor catches the attention of more than 1,200 US residents -- some say it was as bright as the sun and others note sonic effects and delayed booms. December 30, 2013 6:37 PM PST There's nothing quite like seeing a massive fireball burn through the night's sky. Much bigger and brighter than a shooting star, these dramatic meteors tend to catch onlookers' attention. One recent fireball that blazed over Iowa and surrounding states, caused hundreds of wowed residents to call in the sighting to the American Meteor Society. The meteor appeared on December 26 around 5:45pm local time. More than 1,200 people reported the sighting, making it the third most reported fireball in the history of the society's online reporting system. Related stories Buckle up -- the year's best meteor shower peaks on Friday Skywatchers gear up for Perseid meteor onslaught We should nuke dangerous asteroids, expert says Relive Earth's wild history of meteor strikes NASA's asteroid lasso mission said to halt Apocalypse scenario Some witnesses said the fireball was as bright as the sun, while others noted sonic effects and delayed booms. A few said the meteor's color ranged from yellow to orange to blue. The fireball was caught on tape by a security camera at the public works facility in North Liberty, Iowa. In the black-and-white video, the meteor can be seen from several different angles as it shines through the sky and at times illuminates the houses and roads below. Earlier this month marked the annual Geminid meteor shower, which is the most vivid of all showers. The Geminid light show is typically full of fireballs, along with more than 100 meteors per hour. This year, the shower kicked off on December 4 and peaked on December 13 and 14. Here is a heat map that shows where people were when they reported seeing the most recent fireball over Iowa: (Credit: American Meteor Society)
A fiery meteor catches the attention of more than 1,200 US residents -- some say it was as bright as the sun and others note sonic effects and delayed booms.
There's nothing quite like seeing a massive fireball burn through the night's sky. Much bigger and brighter than a shooting star, these dramatic meteors tend to catch onlookers' attention.
One recent fireball that blazed over Iowa and surrounding states, caused hundreds of wowed residents to call in the sighting to the American Meteor Society. The meteor appeared on December 26 around 5:45pm local time. More than 1,200 people reported the sighting, making it the third most reported fireball in the history of the society's online reporting system.
Related stories
- Buckle up -- the year's best meteor shower peaks on Friday
- Skywatchers gear up for Perseid meteor onslaught
- We should nuke dangerous asteroids, expert says
- Relive Earth's wild history of meteor strikes
- NASA's asteroid lasso mission said to halt Apocalypse scenario
Some witnesses said the fireball was as bright as the sun, while others noted sonic effects and delayed booms. A few said the meteor's color ranged from yellow to orange to blue.
The fireball was caught on tape by a security camera at the public works facility in North Liberty, Iowa. In the black-and-white video, the meteor can be seen from several different angles as it shines through the sky and at times illuminates the houses and roads below.
Earlier this month marked the annual Geminid meteor shower, which is the most vivid of all showers. The Geminid light show is typically full of fireballs, along with more than 100 meteors per hour. This year, the shower kicked off on December 4 and peaked on December 13 and 14.
Here is a heat map that shows where people were when they reported seeing the most recent fireball over Iowa:
(Credit: American Meteor Society)
