Bright fireball seen on video streaking across the sky. It lit up 15 states

Several videos captured the moment a bright fireball hurtled across the sky in the eastern U.S. early Wednesday.

The American Meteor Society received 295 reports from people in 15 states and Washington, D.C., who saw the fireball illuminate the early-morning sky. It was also seen in Canada.

“This was a very rare experience that I am happy I got to witness,” one witness told WXIX in Ohio. “It looked like something sparked a fire in the air and then it turned bright blue and fell from the sky.”

The majority of reports appear to have come from Indiana and Ohio, but some reported seeing the meteor — which appeared just before 6:30 a.m. ET — as far west as Chicago and as far south as South Carolina.

“First time I have ever seen something like this! It was amazing to see,” one witness said, according to Inside Nova in Virginia. “It was dark and I was on an early morning run ... it was right in front of me in a dark sky! Amazing!”

Several people caught video of the fireball and posted it to social media.

The American Meteor Society describes fireballs as bright, slow-moving meteors. They are common during the Taurid meteor shower, the collective name of two meteor streams that happen around the same time: the North Taurids and South Taurids.

The Taurid meteor shower is a long one, running from Sept. 25 to Nov. 25 this year, EarthSky reported. Its peak is expected late Nov. 4 and into the morning of Nov. 5.

“The Taurids are rich in fireballs, so if you see a Taurid it can be very brilliant and it’ll knock your eyes out,” NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke told Space.com. “It’s simply the fact that when a Taurid appears it’s usually big and bright.”

This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 12:20 PM with the headline "Bright fireball seen on video streaking across the sky. It lit up 15 states."