Fireball Sightings Reported Across Florida

Tampa Bay area residents might have noticed something strange in the night skies over the weekend.

The American Meteor Society has logged more than 170 reports about a fireball seen over Florida, Georgia and South Carolina Saturday night into Sunday morning.

While reports are clustered in the North Florida area, mainly around Lake City, some people as far away as Lutz, St. Petersburg and West Palm Beach witnessed the event.

Some of those who reported in also said they felt a delayed boom following the fireball’s appearance.

Residents are being told there’s no reason for concern. Scientists believe the event was caused by a meteor, WFLA is reporting.

“The estimated trajectory plotted from the witness reports shows the meteor was traveling from the south west to the north east and ended its flight about 30 miles due west from Jacksonville,” the society’s website states.

See Also:

• Galactic Smiley Face Captured by Hubble Telescope
• Astronaut Snaps Awesome Pic of Florida From Space

Tampa Bay area residents who witnessed the event included:

Scott N from St. Petersburg

Scott reported in to the AMS that he is a commercial instrument rated pilot. What he saw looked “similar to the giant meteor in Russia that broke up, except it descended vertically, long enough to say ‘Oh, wow.’ ”

Granville K from Tampa

“Incredible experience.”

Greta K from Redington Shores

“Just wow.”

Did you spot a fireball in the sky over the weekend? Tell us about it by commenting below or report it to the society by following this link.

Screenshot of the America Meteor Society’s heat map

Keep up with what’s happening around town and the state by signing up for your favorite Patch daily newsletter: Bloomingdale-Riverview, Bradenton, Brandon, Carrollwood-Northdale, Clearwater, Dunedin, East Lake, Gulfport, Land O’ Lakes, Largo, Lutz, New Port Richey, New Tampa, Palm Harbor, Pinellas Beaches, Safety Harbor, Sarasota, Seminole Heights, South Tampa-Hyde Park, St. Pete, Tarpon Springs, Temple Terrace, Westchase.