Community Corner
'Fireball' Over Georgia Not a Fireball
The overnight light show that was spotted in Smyrna, Vinings, and elsewhere was more likely space junk.
Image: Dots represent space junk orbiting the planet. nasa.gov
A mysterious light show over Smyrna, Vinings, and other parts of Georgia early Monday morning wasn’t a fireball. Instead, experts say it was space junk.
Find out what's happening in Smyrna-Viningsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
There were 132 sightings of the event at 1:30 a.m. over Georgia, South Carolina and other states in the region, according to AMS Meteors, which tirelessly tracks reports of these things.
“It looked bluish green with the same color tale that looked like a trail of a shower behind it,” wrote a spotter near Smyrna.
Find out what's happening in Smyrna-Viningsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
David Dundee, an astronomer for the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, told the AJC that the speed was far too slow for a meteor or fireball.
There are more than 500,000 pieces of debris, or space junk, orbiting the Earth, according to NASA. So, it’s not surprising that Dundee told WSBTV that it’s not unusual to get these mistaken fireball reports.
“On the average I see two or three reports every month of a bright, really bright fireball,” Dundee said.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
