Bright fireball over Georgia and Alabama, U.S.

fireball-georgia-alabama-november-9-2021

A bright fireball streaked through the partially overcast skies over Georgia and Alabama at 23:39 UTC on November 9, 2021.

The event was also detected by 3 NASA meteor cameras in the region, allowing the determination of trajectory and orbit.1

The meteor was first seen at an altitude of 88 km (55 miles) above the town of Taylorsville, Georgia, moving northwest at 62 000 km/h (38 500 mph).

The object entered Earth's atmosphere at a very shallow angle – only 5 degrees from the horizontal – enabling it to travel over 146 km (91 miles) before disintegrating 71 km (44 miles) above Owens Cross Roads, just to the southeast of Huntsville, Alabama.

The fireball's light was dimmed by the overcast, so a size estimate is not possible at this time.

Image credit: NASA Meteor Watch

Image credit: NASA Meteor Watch

Image credit: NASA Meteor Watch

Georgia and Alabama fireball on November 9, 2021 – trajectory. Image credit: NASA Meteor Watch

Reference:

1 NASA Meteor Watch – FB

Featured image credit: NASA Meteor Watch

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3 Comments

  1. I saw it from the UAH campus in Huntsville. Southeastern horizon until breakup. It seemed directly overhead. Article says Owens Crossroads but it went further west than that.

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