Bright fireball seen over eastern U.S. and Ontario, Canada

A bright fireball was seen streaking through the night sky over Tennessee, U.S., at around 01:41 UTC on June 8, 2020. The American Meteor Society (AMS) received 174 reports from witnesses, including those as far north as Ontario, Canada.

The fireball was primarily seen over Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, the Carolinas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Some observers described it as a green fireball that lasted about 3.5 seconds. Most of the reports said there was no fragmentation and no terminal flash.

Based on the AMS' estimated trajectory, the fireball traveled southeast to northwest and was visible from Huntington in West Virginia to Eastwood in Ohio.

Image credit: AMS

"Never seen anything like it. It lit up the sky," said one witness in Kentucky.

"[The] most amazing sight. Perhaps the best fireball experience I have ever had. The brightness as it shot over my head made me think it was just a firework but when I look up to see it, I wished I had look sooner," another viewer described.

Featured image credit: Austin R./AMS