Fireball spotted in night sky

TYLER – Dozens of East Texans reported seeing a fireball move across the sky Sunday night. According to our news partner KETK, the American Meteor Society (AMS) says a Tyler man reported it had a “long multi colored tail.” He said it came into view at a shallow angle and reported seeing the colors purple, pink, blue, yellow, and white coming from the fireball. AMS received 219 witness reports of the fireball and three videos. “The initial computer generated trajectory shows that this fireball entered the atmosphere over Cistern, Texas and its flight ended just a few miles west of Austin,” the AMS said. “Several witnesses near the flight path reported hearing a delayed sonic boom, indicating that meteorites from this fireball may have survived down to the ground.”

Reports were made across East Texas including in Tyler, Chandler, Lufkin, and Crockett. Reports also came from Louisiana and Oklahoma. “This particular fireball was probably the size of a small car prior to entering the atmosphere,” the AMS said. “The next major meteor shower will occur on the night of August 12/13, 2022 when the Perseid meteor shower reaches maximum activity.”