When the Skies Light Up: A Celestial Surprise
It’s not every day that the heavens put on a show that leaves residents both awed and a bit rattled!
On Thursday afternoon, a dazzling fireball blazed across the sky in the southeastern United States, sending shockwaves through several states.
The American Meteor Society noted an impressive influx of over 140 sightings from citizens in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Interestingly, many Georgians reported experiencing tremors as the fireball streaked overhead.
In a reassuring note, the National Weather Service clarified that what residents felt was not a mini-earthquake but rather “the result of the sonic boom from the meteor or some space debris.”
WATCH:
Witnesses report seeing ‘fireball’ in the sky over multiple states in the Southeast pic.twitter.com/aYqlrssrHb
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 26, 2025
Details from the Ground
An exceptionally bright meteor appeared to have exploded in the skies over the southeastern U.S. on Thursday. Most of the reports are from Georgia and South Carolina. https://t.co/y9kBJWNJND pic.twitter.com/4Q31tOrbNd
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 26, 2025
According to Fox 5 Atlanta:
Authorities throughout the Southeast are actively investigating the plethora of reports regarding a “fireball” that lit up the afternoon sky on Thursday.
Due to its tremendous altitude and speed, the National Weather Service’s radar was unable to fully capture the object, and satellite imagery—which provides updates every few minutes—missed the event. However, the Global Lightning Mapper (GLM), designed to detect lightning in the upper atmosphere, recorded the incident, as the object’s atmospheric entry produced a flash akin to lightning, allowing for data collection over eastern metro Atlanta.
Meteorologists noted that radar imagery displayed distinct indicators typically associated with falling meteorites.
Witnesses as far south as Macon and north to Upstate South Carolina noted a brilliant flash in the sky, shortly followed by what many believed to be an earthquake, later attributed to the sonic boom.
In a curious twist, ABC News reported a resident in Henry County, Georgia, claiming that a “rock” came crashing through their ceiling around the same time the fireball was visible in the sky.
LOOK:
Here’s the hole an apparent meteorite made in one Henry County home, and what landed on the floor. We’re covering this story live on Channel 2. pic.twitter.com/eBc6GtrvEk
— Brad Nitz (@BradNitzWSB) June 26, 2025
And here’s a striking photo of the fireball:
☄️ Amazing photo of the fireball from Macon, Georgia. Taken by Josh Grant, via our content partner WMAZ. https://t.co/chrVRXGtfH pic.twitter.com/Afh78Iv1I8
— Brad Panovich (@wxbrad) June 26, 2025
