Night sky glows in North Carolina as ‘incredibly bright’ meteor ignites at 33,000 mph

An “incredibly bright” meteor traveling at 33,000 mph lit up the night sky over eastern North Carolina, before burning up over Edgecombe County, scientists say.

More than 200 eyewitness accounts came from at least 11 East Coast states and Washington, D.C., late Wednesday, Nov. 10, according to the American Meteor Society.

Photos and videos posted on social media show the fireball briefly turned night into dusk as it neared the ground.

“At its brightest, the fireball rivaled the Full Moon, suggesting it was caused by an object roughly 45 pounds (20 kg) in weight and 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter. The low speed could imply an asteroidal origin,” the society said in a release. “It survived only 3.5 seconds before disintegrating 28 miles (45 km) above Macclesfield (in the Rocky Mount metro area.)“

The society added: “The brighter the fireball, the more rare is the event.”

Witnesses began seeing the meteor around 9:12 p.m., including some who admitted being frightened by the flash.

It appeared just minutes after a Falcon 9 rocket launch, leading some to confuse the meteor for a rocket on social media. However, the society said, “nearly all of the witnesses were outside the view (of) the launch.”

Meteors are expected this time of year — September through November — as “the Earth passes through a broad stream of debris left by Comet Encke,” NASA says.

“The dust associated with the comet hits the Earth’s atmosphere at 65,000 mph and burns up, creating the Taurid meteor shower,” NASA reports.

“Most years the shower is weak, and only a few Taurid meteors can be seen each night,” NASA said. “Other years, the Taurids can put on a show.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2021 at 7:32 AM with the headline "Night sky glows in North Carolina as ‘incredibly bright’ meteor ignites at 33,000 mph."