Fireball recorded blasting above Sochi, Russia

A bright meteor was captured streaking through the night sky over Sochi, Russia on Friday, December 15, 2017.

Alexander Ivanov, head of the Kuban University laboratory of astrophysics, said the object was the size of a soccer ball, adding that it burned down 20 km (12.4 miles) above Earth.

The phenomenon is not a rare occasion during August and December meteor showers, Ivanov said. The object was most likely a part of the Geminid meteor shower, peaking on December 13 and 14 of this year.

Internet users speculated over violent clapping sounds supposedly accompanying the fireball, Sputnik reports. Some cited a hissing sound as an unidentified object flew past the location; others remarked they saw merely a flash of light. Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations declined the possibility of a meteor crash in the area since there was no tangible evidence.

There are no reports of this object submitted to the International Meteor Organization (IMO).

Featured image: Fireball over Sochi, Russia. Credit: Информационное агентство "Волгоград News"