Brilliant Fireball Spotted In the Skies Over New York State

If you happened to be outside looking at the sky early Sunday, you may have caught a glimpse of a rather spectacular phenomenon above. The American Meteor Society says that they received a number of reports of a bright meteor streaking across the skies over many parts of the East Coast, from New Hampshire to North Carolina. A number of reports came in from parts of New York and New Jersey, as witnesses say the ball of light could be seen brilliantly flashing as it burnt up in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

NASA Meteor Watch says the fireball entered the atmosphere at 51,000 M.P.H, before disintegrating over the town of Newburg, PA. Many of the sightings and reports this weekend came from residents in Pennsylvania, according to the AMS. What is really  unbelievable is that while the bright flash in the sky may have looked impressive, it was all caused by a small fragment that weighed a mere 7 pounds.

It has been a active couple of months for fireball activity across the northeast. A number of fireballs were spotted in December 2020, over western New York state, including at least one that was heard exploding far above the Earth's surface. Now did a meteor actually land right here in Poughkeepsie back in November? Unlikely, though you may have heard about the bright fireball that was seen all over the eastern part of the country around that time. Some outlets, such as the Gothamist, claim the space rock actually crashed somewhere in the Hudson Valley area. The American Meteor Society says the fireball's visible light trail ended somewhere over Poughkeepsie, according to the reports they received.

Scientists also say a meteor may have exploded high above New York state in late 2019, causing an eerie greenish light to be seen in the sky that night, according to the many reports in the Saratoga area.

And as if we didn't have enough going above us over the weekend, how about under the surface beneath us? The United States Geological Survey says the small tremor occurred near Altamount, NY, in Albany County, at around 6:39 P.M. Saturday. News 10 is reporting that the quake measured a 2.0 on the Richter Scale. Yes, earthquakes do occur sometimes in New York.