Fire in Texas sky - Officials at NASA have confirmed that a bright green streak of light observed over the skyline of Texas on Saturday night was a meteor.
Up to 340 people have contacted the American Meteor Society (AMS) to report seeing the fire in Texas sky.
The head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, Dr. Bill Cooke has revealed that the fire in Texas sky was a meteor fireball. Based on an analysis of NASA footages of the meteor, Dr. Cooke noted that it measured at least four feet and weighed up to 4,000 pounds.
According to him, fireballs can shine brighter than Venus, but this fireball was up to five times brighter than the moon.
"The event was so bright that it was picked up on a NASA meteor camera in the mountains of New Mexico over 500 miles away, which makes it extremely unusual," he said.
Based on the reports of its sighting, the meteor must have flew by and caused the alleged fire in Texas sky sometime between 8:30 and 9:45 p.m. (ET).
Several motorists caught the apparent fire in Texas sky on camera. One motorist, who was driving when the fireball sped by, reported to AMS that there were several other drivers on the road who would have seen it.
"Light suddenly appeared dearly close to the horizon that at first I thought someone had launched fireworks but then the downward trajectory was too sharp and fast. It disappeared within a second. Light was green and with a small light tail," he wrote.
The meteor could have come from the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars or the North Taurid meteor shower. Dr. Cooke noted that more study needs to be done before a final conclusion can be made about the origin of the fireball.
It is unclear if the meteor which caused the fire in Texas sky landed in the state or in neighboring Mexico. The National Weather Service has revealed that Maverick County law enforcement officials say the ground of the area shook around 8:45 p.m. Meanwhile, Mexican officials are yet to report about any meteor impact
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