Current:Home > reviewsWatch as shooting star burns brightly, awes driver as it arcs across Tennessee sky -Elite Financial Minds
Watch as shooting star burns brightly, awes driver as it arcs across Tennessee sky
View
Date:2025-04-18 20:53:18
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! (1)
Related
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Company Behind Methane Leak Is Ordered to Offset the Climate Damage
- Despite its innocently furry appearance, the puss caterpillar's sting is brutal
- ALS drug's approval draws cheers from patients, questions from skeptics
- Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
- The Most Accurate Climate Models Predict Greater Warming, Study Shows
- HIV crashed her life. She found her way back to joy — and spoke at the U.N. this week
- Daily 'breath training' can work as well as medicine to reduce high blood pressure
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- There's a global call for kangaroo care. Here's what it looks like in the Ivory Coast
Ranking
- The FTC says 'gamified' online job scams by WhatsApp and text on the rise. What to know.
- Poverty and uninsured rates drop, thanks to pandemic-era policies
- Why Prince Harry Didn't Wear His Military Uniform to King Charles III's Coronation
- Priyanka Chopra Shares the One Thing She Never Wants to Miss in Daughter Malti’s Daily Routine
- Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
- The new COVID booster could be the last you'll need for a year, federal officials say
- Chris Christie announces 2024 presidential campaign by going after Trump
- City in a Swamp: Houston’s Flood Problems Are Only Getting Worse
Recommendation
Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
Today’s Climate: June 24, 2010
Botched Smart Meter Roll Outs Provoking Consumer Backlash
Planned Parenthood mobile clinic will take abortion to red-state borders
Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
How to stop stewing about something you've taken (a little too) personally
Today’s Climate: June 26-27, 2010
The Experiment Aiming To Keep Drug Users Alive By Helping Them Get High More Safely