Slow-moving daylight fireball recorded over Houston, US
A slow-moving daylight fireball was seen over Houston skies (Texas, US) late Sunday, January 18, 2015 and recorded by Jordan Sterling.
The sighting raised a lot of questions after images and videos started appearing on social media, KHOU 11 News reports.
Patricia Reiff, a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University, explained for KHOU 11 News what's on the video.
"What we are seeing is a fireball or a bolide," Reiff explained. A type of meteor.
"Usually they don't linger quite so long, so this is exceptional because of how long it stayed in the air!"
When a meteor nearly misses the Earth and skims the atmosphere as it comes around the world, it slows the speed down significantly. A slow moving meteor can make one full swing around the world before crashing or disintegrating. The fireball Sterling captured is similar to the one that fell on Russia in 2013, Reiff said.
Source: KHOU 11 News
Featured image credit: Jordan Sterling
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