Fireball Lights Up Sky Over Milford; Flaming Meteor Seen Over 9 States

MILFORD, CT — Over 50 people caught a healthy glimpse of a fireball streaking across the northeastern sky this morning at around 6:10.

When the space dust had cleared, the American Meteorological Society reported it had received 54 reports of a flaming meteor, from skywatchers all over Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Virginia.

A Milford resident who identified himself as "Michael O" reported that he "was just on [an] early am walk [and] saw bright ball with long tail streak across sky west to east and appeared to burn out."

Willard S. in Simsbury told the AMS it was the "most significant meteor I've ever seen in person," and Allen A. in Oxford was impressed by the "very vivid ball of flames" and its "long green tail." A report from Easton noted that the spaceball "looked like a fast plane but on fire then it abruptly disappeared." Another report, from Westchester County, NY, concurred that "it flared brightly and then winked out suddenly."

The AMS calculated the fireball's trajectory based on reported sightings, and mapped its track from a 2,000-foot elevation near West Meredith, NY, to just southwest of Waterford, NY.

Other Connecticut towns that reported a sighting include: Northford, Glastonbury, Easton, Canton, Derby, Darien, Ellington, and Oxford.