A large and colorful meteor streaked across the sky Thursday evening, prompting dozens of reports to the American Meteor Society.
The fireball was spotted across the Outer Banks, as far south as Camp LeJeune and as far north as Richmond between 8 and 8:15 p.m. A majority of the reports came from the Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach and Outer Banks areas.
Some thought it was fireworks, but the meteor society is investigating the sightings as a fireball.
One resident of Pine Knoll Shores described the colors as greenish blue with trailing red.
“Amazing,” the person wrote on the society’s fireball reports. “Not a firework. Color extremely vivid. No planes, helicopters near. Desolate ocean.”
A resident of Manns Harbor reported the meteor as blue, light blue, orange, yellow and white.
About 10 to 15 meteorites fall to Earth each day, but sightings are rare since streaking fireballs often fall over the ocean, or during daylight hours when they can’t be seen.
A fireball, according to the society, are bright meteors, about as bright as Venus in the morning and evening skies.
