Current:Home > ContactWatch as shooting star burns brightly, awes driver as it arcs across Tennessee sky -CapitalSource
Watch as shooting star burns brightly, awes driver as it arcs across Tennessee sky
View
Date:2025-04-13 09:40:46
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! (365)
Related
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- What to know about the threats in Springfield, Ohio, after false claims about Haitian immigrants
- Melania Trump to give 'intimate portrait' of life with upcoming memoir
- Jordan Chiles deserved Olympic bronze medal. And so much more
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- RHOSLC Alum Monica Garcia Returning to TV in Villainous New Role
- Many women deal with painful sex, bladder issues. There's a fix, but most have no idea.
- Fire destroys 105-year-old post office on Standing Rock Reservation
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- NFL power rankings Week 3: Chiefs still No. 1, but top five overhaul occurs after chaotic weekend
Ranking
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Fire destroys 105-year-old post office on Standing Rock Reservation
- Honolulu Police Department is adding dozens of extra police officers to westside patrols
- Wilmer Valderrama reflects on Fez character, immigration, fatherhood in new memoir
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- O'Doul's in Milwaukee? Phenom Jackson Chourio can't drink in Brewers postseason party
- Who's that baby hippo on your timeline? Meet the wet, chubby 'lifestyle icon' captivating the internet
- DWTS’ Stephen Nedoroscik Shares the Advice He Got From Girlfriend Tess McCracken for Emmys Date Night
Recommendation
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
Wheel of Fortune Contestant's Painful Mistake Costs Her $1 Million in Prize Money
Eagles' Nick Sirianni explains why he didn't address players following loss to Falcons
NAACP president urges Missouri governor to halt execution planned for next week
Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
Ukraine boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk released after brief detention in Poland
Inside the Brooklyn federal jail where Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is locked up: violence, squalor and death
Eric Roberts makes 'public apology' to sister Julia Roberts in new memoir: Report