Daylight Fireball Over Southern USA, November 3, 2014

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Reports are arriving to the American Meteor Society of a brilliant fireball occurring near 9:36am Central Standard Time (15:35 UT) on November 3, 2014. So far, reports have arrived from the states of Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, and Arkansas stating that the fireball was of short duration. Individual reports may be seen at: Report #2907 for 2014. More details will be provided as information arrives.

If you saw this fireball, please report it.

Daylight meteors are rare as they need to be exceedingly bright in order to be seen against the sunlit sky. They must be as bright as the quarter moon (magnitude -8) to be distinctly seen against the bright sky. But as the moon is easily seen during the day, if one is facing in the right direction at the right time under clear skies then fireballs can also be detected during the day. During the day fireballs usually appear as a brilliant white speck with a tail. The brightest ones will also exhibit other colors. They usually last for only a matter of seconds before they disintegrate high in the atmosphere. If the fireball creates a sonic boom (usually heard a minute or two after it was seen) then the object survived into the lower atmosphere and fragments may have fallen upon the ground or water.

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29 comments

  • Rodney Sloan 9 years ago

    Seen a fireball that looked like 2 side x side over St Marys WV, only lasta few seconds than went black

    Reply to Rodney
    • Greg 9 years ago

      I saw this meteor while driving home in Covington, LA north of New Orleans. It was clear as day. looked like a hugh bottle rocket of sorts. My first thought was a plan crashing. But then my instincts took over from my love and collection of meteorites. I then knew what it had to be. My son was riding with me and was looking in the wrong direction. I showed him the smoke trail. I told him it would have to have landed in MS to the north. I waited 3 days then goggled it and saw the new report from Jackson MS. I’ve seen many meteors but never during the day!
      Tonight 12-13-14 is a large meteor shower, I’ll be watching….

      Reply to Greg
  • Lisa Reed 9 years ago

    White driving toward Zanesville Ohio from Coshocton Ohio tonight at approximately 6:30pm my son and I saw a huge fireball of some sort that was green and blue with a thick tail. I’ve never seen anything like it. It seemed huge to us.

    Reply to Lisa
    • Michelle Gallant 9 years ago

      Lisa, I saw it also. I was heading home from the grocery store sometime around 6:30 p.m. It was just as you described. I have never seen anything like it before either.

      Reply to Michelle
    • Patti 9 years ago

      We saw it too!!!!! It was actually about 6:19. We are in Pinehurst, NC. IT WAS HUGE!!!!!

      Reply to Patti
    • Peggy 9 years ago

      We saw it too only we were in Indiana just south of Ft. Wayne – same greenish blue tail, same time frame. It gave us the impression it had to have caused some damage when it landed.

      Reply to Peggy
      • Christian 9 years ago

        I was driving from Pineville NC around just before 6:30 pm, and saw it just before it disintegrated. No damage.

        Reply to Christian
    • Kathy 9 years ago

      I saw the same thing in Youngwood/Greensburg area in PA.

      Reply to Kathy
  • Andrew 9 years ago

    i was working at eastern heights Dollar general while I was outside I seen a blue fire ball with a white tail

    Reply to Andrew
  • Joe Carter 9 years ago

    I saw the descending fireball in Ardmore,Al.

    Reply to Joe
  • Sherry Deitz 9 years ago

    I saw a bright flash of light followed by a loud rumble. It shook the ground!

    Reply to Sherry
  • DD Hamric 9 years ago

    Driving between Aliceville, AL and Pickensville, AL on hwy 14…glancing to the western sky, I saw what I thought at first, was a shooting star. The difference, of course, was that I had never seen one on a sunny day. It looked as though it was traveling in a northward direction and lasted about 3 seconds. The leading edge had a “greenish” tint and the debris trail looked to cover about half of my vision field as I watched.

    Reply to DD
  • DD Hamric 9 years ago

    BTW, it about 9:40am on Nov 3, 2014

    Reply to DD
  • ML Wilurn 9 years ago

    11/3/14 sw sky over Wilmington Nc – afternoon daylight – shower of what appeared to be shooting stars w/tails 3 minutes 10 or more.

    Reply to ML
  • Kim 9 years ago

    On Monday, November 3, I was driving from the southernmost part of Danville, Va around 6:20 pm and saw a large bright bluish light, which appeared to be a meteor. It was larger and slower than “falling stars” I have seen in the past.

    Reply to Kim
  • Stephanie Herrmann 9 years ago

    There were 16 of us paddling in kayaks/canoes on the Ouachita River in the Upper Ouachita National Refuge in North Louisiana (Marion, Louisiana) on Monday morning documenting the area for a tourism brochure. We saw the fireball from the Southeast going diagonal and then North directly in front of our view. In my field of vision, it started the size of a dessert plate and then narrowed down until it disappeared from view. It was bright white (I thought it was a white heron flying at first) and moving quickly, but not nearly as quickly as most shooting stars I see in the night sky. It was moving slow enough for someone to say “look” and me still catch it in my view.

    Reply to Stephanie
  • Austin Thompson 9 years ago

    Around 6:20 pm on November 3 I witnessed, what I believed to be, a meteor falling low in the sky. The tail was a light green, blue, white and slightly orange color with a considerable length. The fireball itself was a brilliant, extremely bright, yellowish white color. While walking to my truck after leaving the Lowe’s store in Clyde, NC, I happened to look Northward in the direction of the new Haywood County Health Department at which time I witnessed the meteor at a considerably low altitude. I say this about the altitude due to the fact that right before the meteor burned out, I noticed the silhouette of a mountain behind it. From the moment I first spotted the meteor to the time it burned out couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. The meteor started to flicker and then went dark. I heard no sound associated with the meteor. I feel very fortunate to have witnessed this event and I hope to hear about any developments that may arise about it.

    Reply to Austin
  • April 9 years ago

    A friend and I saw it around 8 p.m. Nov. 3 in Friendswood Texas ( 25 miles south of Houston). The time frame it was spotted in the Midwest to the time frame it appeared here, given we are in a different time zone, is very puzzling. It was large, green, fast, and just above the tree line which was along the side of the road we were travelling.

    Reply to April
  • Anna C. 9 years ago

    I’m from central Kentucky and I saw it on my walk last night. It was huge!!!!!!!!!!!

    Reply to Anna
  • Anna C. 9 years ago

    I’m from central Kentucky and I saw it on my walk last night around 6:30. It was huge!

    Reply to Anna
  • Kristyn fuller 9 years ago

    I saw the meteor falling eve of Nov. 3rd. It was a very large bright white light falling from the sky. I saw it while I was in North Canton, Ohio.

    Reply to Kristyn
  • Letecia 9 years ago

    While driving for work around 6.20 am on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014 in Merritt Island Fl. I saw this big fire whitish fireball coming down from the sky located sw hemisphere.

    Reply to Letecia
  • jeff sunset 9 years ago

    10/5/2014 at 10 45 pm. I live in Melbourne, Florida and I saw a green and red fireball falling from the sky looking south. It was extremely bright and reflected off the clouds falling at 40 degree angle at about 30-40k ft. high. It looked like Christmas tree lights in the sky.

    Reply to jeff
  • Amy Wertz 9 years ago

    I saw this in the sky on my way to work! It was right around 6:20 pm. I was driving south and saw a green “flash” of an object that resembled a falling star but it seemed “thicker” and of course was bright green. This was in Mount Gilead, Ohio.

    Reply to Amy
  • CJ 9 years ago

    Monday November 3, 2014. My husband saw a white fireball during late afternoon. We live about 45 minutes outside Columbia SC

    Reply to CJ
  • Arely Sierra 9 years ago

    My brother and I saw it come down from the sky. At first I thought it was a shooting star but it was green in color and seemed to have came down pretty quick in Foreman Arkansas.

    Reply to Arely
  • Sherry Adcock 9 years ago

    On December 2nd I saw a huge fireball in the North Western sky about 5pm toda, November 2nd. I watched it for a long time and seemed to be slow. It was coming straight down and for a while and then it angled to the right slightly. I have never seen such before. It was a bit frightening. I came in my home thinking I would find something about it on the news but nothing. I have a photo from my phone.. It is not a very good photo but you can see it against the gray clouds.. I am in Auburn, Alabama.

    Reply to Sherry
  • Marion Berryman 9 years ago

    This fall of 2015 I saw an orange fireball appear in a bright blue sky over Athens, GA. There was no tail like a comet. The orange sphere had a rather fat, short spike on on side and I didn’t see any movement across the sky and I didn’t hear any sound. The fireball lasted only a second or two and left no trace of a smoky tail.

    Reply to Marion
  • James 9 years ago

    I saw a bright orange fireball one evening in San Antonio in the fall of 2015 . I wish that someone else could witness what I had seen bcuz I couldn’t believe my eyes. It lasted 4 or 5 seconds it was in the southern sky. It was the most beautiful site imaginable

    Reply to James

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