Did you see a fireball in the sky? This is what it likely was :: WRAL.com

Reddit users began sharing descriptions Thursday night of a bright fireball streaking across the northwestern sky around 8 p.m.

Based on over 50 sighting reports submitted to the American Meteor Society (AMS), the object was most likely a meteor. Early reports suggest it may have been visible over parts of southwestern Virginia, though the exact path is still being determined. As additional observations are collected and analyzed, researchers will be able to more precisely reconstruct the meteor’s trajectory through Earth’s atmosphere.

It wasn’t the NASA spacecraft expected to deorbit this week. The United States Space Force confirmed that Van Allen Probe A reentered the atmosphere, falling into the Pacific Ocean near the equator on Wednesday. Its twin spacecraft, Van Allen Probe B, is expected to remain in orbit until at least 2030. 

If you (or your dash cam) saw the fireball, share your photos and video on the WRAL Report It page.

You can also help scientists by submitting a report to the AMS Fireball log. Even simple observations of the time, direction, and brightness can help researchers piece together what happened in the sky.