Current:Home > ContactWatch as shooting star burns brightly, awes driver as it arcs across Tennessee sky -FundSphere
Watch as shooting star burns brightly, awes driver as it arcs across Tennessee sky
View
Date:2025-04-19 03:46:09
A meteor made a surprise appearance in the sky early Friday morning, burning brightly as it traveled across two neighboring states before dissipating.
Glenn Sparks, a driver headed east on Interstate 40 in Tennessee, documented the moment on Facebook, writing that he had just witnessed the "most amazing meteor of my life" at around 1 a.m. on Friday.
The shooting star, according to Sparks, looked like it was roughly over Greeneville, about 65 miles east of Knoxville, when he spotted it.
"It lit up the sky for over 10 seconds with multiple explosions along the way," Sparks wrote. "Absolutely gorgeous!"
Watch: Meteor briefly illuminate Tennessee skyline
Southwest Virginia residents also caught sight of the fleeting ball of fire, capturing the meteor, also known as a shooting star, on video as it whizzed by in a matter of seconds.
Sparks' awe was audible in the video clip that he took, saying "What?" and erupting into laughter.
While Sparks may have been in awe, meteoroids enter Earth's atmosphere regularly, with NASA estimating that that "several meteors per hour" can usually be seen on any given night.
"Scientists estimate that about 48.5 tons of meteoritic material falls on Earth each day," according to NASA. "Almost all the material is vaporized in Earth's atmosphere, leaving a bright trail fondly called 'shooting stars.'"
veryGood! (8494)
Related
- Where will Elmo go? HBO moves away from 'Sesame Street'
- Western Colorado Water Purchases Stir Up Worries About The Future Of Farming
- South Portland’s Tar Sands Ban Upheld in a ‘David vs. Goliath’ Pipeline Battle
- Queer Eye's Tan France Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Husband Rob France
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- Energizing People Who Play Outside to Exercise Their Civic Muscles at the Ballot Box
- Analysts See Democrats Likely to Win the Senate, Opening the Door to Climate Legislation
- Sia Shares She's on the Autism Spectrum 2 Years After Her Controversial Movie
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- Disappearance of Alabama college grad tied to man who killed parents as a boy
Ranking
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Luis Magaña Has Spent 20 Years Advocating for Farmworkers, But He’s Never Seen Anything Like This
- Pink’s Nude Photo Is Just Like Fire
- Jana Kramer Recalls Releasing Years of Shame After Mike Caussin Divorce
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- ‘We Need to Hear These Poor Trees Scream’: Unchecked Global Warming Means Big Trouble for Forests
- Senate 2020: In Mississippi, a Surprisingly Close Race For a Trump-Tied Promoter of Fossil Fuels
- Luis Magaña Has Spent 20 Years Advocating for Farmworkers, But He’s Never Seen Anything Like This
Recommendation
Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
Love Is Blind's Paul Peden Reveals New Romance After Micah Lussier Breakup
Ted Lasso's Tearful Season 3 Finale Teases Show's Fate
Alzheimer's drug Leqembi gets full FDA approval. Medicare coverage will likely follow
New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
A Bipartisan Climate Policy? It Could Happen Under a Biden Administration, Washington Veterans Say
The Dropout’s Amanda Seyfried Reacts to Elizabeth Holmes Beginning 11-Year Prison Sentence
American Whitelash: Fear-mongering and the rise in white nationalist violence