Meteor Over Massachusetts? 'I Feared A Small Plane Crashing'

An object widely thought to be a meteor streaked across the Northeast early Tuesday evening, lighting up the skies and social media. The American Meteor Society has not confirmed the incident as a meteor sighting yet, but a webcam at the Mount Agamenticus Conservation Region in York, ME caught what appeared to be a meteor heading north.

Reports started hitting Twitter right before 6 p.m., when a full earthbound audience sat in their cars during the evening commute home. Many reported a "flaming object" above during the first few moments after it became visible.

Did you see the object? Did you get a photograph? Email mike.carraggi@patch.com and let us know what you saw!

Stephanie Clement was driving on Interstate 93 North in Wilmington when she saw the object.

"It was huge!" Clement said in an email to Patch. "Looked bigger than a meteor, I feared a small plane crashing."

Maureen Haggerty was in Rowley when she said "the dark red glowing ball shooting down toward the north northeast with the streak behind it. I was on the phone with my husband when I saw it and started screaming about the meteor I just saw. It was quite a sight!"

Wendy Ryan in was Westford when she saw a "bright white light in the sky that I thought was a plane to the North of my location. It was going unbelievably fast and possibly accelerating. Then suddenly it turned orange and seemed to fizzle out. I figured it was probably a satellite, but I was worried it could be a plane."

Patch readers in Vermont also chimed in. Laura Dailey said she was walking into a restaurant with her son in Ludlow when, VT when she "saw the flaming object."

A meteor would coincide with the year's final meteor shower, which is often minor and overlooked. The Ursids meteor shower, which runs Dec. 17-25, produces about 5 to 10 meteors an hour, although occasional outbursts have produced 25 or more an hour. A full moon will wash out all but the brightest, however. The Ursids originate from the constellation Ursa Minor, and are produced by dust grains left behind by the comet Tuttle discovered in 1790. The best viewing times are after midnight.

The next meteor shower we are expecting is Jan. 3-4, when the annual Quadrantids meteor shower, which runs Jan. 1-5, offers about 40 meteors an hour at its peak. It has the potential to be dazzling, but weather conditions often make for unpleasant viewing, the peak only lasts only a few hours and a nearly full moon will wash out all but the brightest of the shooting stars. The shower is produced by dust grains left behind by an extinct comet known as 2003 EH1, discovered only 15 years ago. Patient skywatchers may see a few blazing meteors despite the nearly full moon They radiate from the constellation Bootes, but are visible anywhere in the sky.

Beth Dalby, Patch Staff, contributed to this report

Screenshot of meteor from Mount Agamenticus Conservation Region webcam