Fireballs
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Meteor fireball recorded in sky over Central New Jersey on December 20

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A bright fireball streaked across the evening sky over Central New Jersey at 5:21 PM on December 20. The meteor, a dazzling spectacle, was visible for several seconds before disappearing from view.

Residents in various parts of Central New Jersey reported witnessing the celestial event, describing it as a brief, large streak larger than the average meteor shower object.

Experts are analyzing data and eyewitness accounts, and video to determine the exact nature and origin of the fireball. Initial assessments suggest that a meteoroid may have entered Earth's atmosphere, creating a fiery display as it burned up due to the intense friction.

No reports of any damage or impacts on the ground have been received thus far, indicating that the fireball likely disintegrated high above the Earth's surface.


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Meteor fireball over State of Bahia, Brazil on December 18

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We received 5 reports about a fireball seen over Bahia on Monday, December 18th 2023 around 00:33 UT.

For this event, we received one video.


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Bright meteor fireball crosses the sky of 3 states in Brazil on December 15

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The Clima ao Vivo and Bramon cameras recorded a meteor during the early hours of this Friday (15), which crossed the sky of Paraíba, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte.


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The Geminids are still a mystery

Above: Geminids over the Czech Republic in 2018.
© Petr HorálekAbove: Geminids over the Czech Republic in 2018.
Every great mystery novel has an unexpected twist. Apparently the same is true of meteor showers.

A paper published in the Planetary Science Journal reports a surprising new twist in the mystery of the Geminids, a strong annual meteor shower that has puzzled astronomers for more than a century.

"Our work has upended years of belief about 3200 Phaethon, the source of the Geminids," says co-author Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab. "It's not what we thought it was."

The Geminids peak every year in mid-December, scattering hundreds of bright meteors across northern winter skies. Numerically it is the best meteor shower of the year.

As meteor showers go, Geminids are newcomers. They first appeared in the mid-1800s when an unknown stream of debris crossed Earth's orbit. Surprised, 19th century astronomers scoured the sky for the parent comet, but they found nothing. The search would continue for another 100 years.

Enter NASA. In 1983, the space agency's Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) found an object now called "3200 Phaethon." It was definitely the source of the Geminids. The orbit of 3200 Phaethon was such a close match to that of the Geminid debris stream, no other conclusion was possible. Yet here was a puzzler: 3200 Phaethon appeared to be a rocky asteroid.

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Meteor fireball over West Virginia and other states on December 9

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© Linda T.
We received 5 reports about a fireball seen over North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia on Saturday, December 9th 2023 around 06:08 UT.

For this event, we received one video and one photo.


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Meteor fireball over California and Nevada on November 27

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We received 27 reports about a fireball seen over CA and NV on Monday, November 27th 2023 around 02:31 UT.

For this event, we received one video and 2 photos.


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Meteor fireball over Connecticut and other states on December 5

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© Mark Kirschner
We received 21 reports about a fireball seen over Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia on Tuesday, December 5th 2023 around 06:39 UT.

For this event, we received 3 videos and 3 photos.


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Meteor fireball over Texas and other states on December 2

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We received 20 reports about a fireball seen over Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas on Saturday, December 2nd 2023 around 01:03 UT.

For this event, we received one video.


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Meteor fireball over UK and Ireland on November 30

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We received 105 reports about a fireball seen over County Galway, England, Northern Ireland and Scotland on Thursday, November 30th 2023 around 17:21 UT.

For this event, we received 3 videos.


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Meteor fireball over North Carolina and other states on November 26

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We received 61 reports about a fireball seen over DC, MD, MI, NC, OH, PA, SC, VA and WV on Sunday, November 26th 2023 around 00:31 UT.

For this event, we received one video.