Large Fireball with Booms over PA & MD with bonus fireball in CO

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Two significant fireballs were reported last night to the AMS both with nearly identical times and headings.

On the east coast over 25 witness reported a fragmenting fireball with delayed boom sounds around 12:30 EST (4:30 UTC). The fireball entered the atmosphere near washington DC and headed on a north westerly trajectory terminating over central PA.

Click the trajectory image below for an interactive map containing the witness reports for this event.

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Fireball with Booms over Maryland and Pennsylvania – May 18th, 2013

Nearly 45 minutes before this event around 9:30 Mountain time (3:45 UTC), a brillant fragmenting fireball was reported in Colorado. The fireball in Colorado was also traveling from the south east to the north west.

Click the trajectory image below to see the map for the Colorado event.

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Colorado Fireball – May 18th, 2013

Two significant fireballs in different parts of the country each sharing a similar heading and reported within an hour of each other is interesting. More study would be required however to determine any linkage between the two events.

If you witnessed either of these events, please fill out an official fireball report.

9 comments

  • Pete Kotanides 12 years ago

    I also saw the meteor at 12:30 am…….and reported it to AMS……..the funny thing is I am in Canton, Oh……….I think it went further than indicated

    Reply to Pete
  • Ryan Ritchie 12 years ago

    i saw it over frederick maryland and reported to the news. it was at 0032 EST. It was cloudy, but the sky flashed like lightning. then i saw it through the clouds 2-3 secounds later. i was driving so i couldnt hear it

    Reply to Ryan
  • tina 12 years ago

    My fiance and I saw it over Hershey, pa last night. It was a sight to see it looked as though it just imploded and then it was just gone.

    Reply to tina
    • Brent 12 years ago

      I saw the fireball over Hershey as well. Very bright orange with a long tail. Lasted what seemed like 10-15 seconds, then appeared to burn-out just before passing over the mountain. It moved slowly from Northeast to Southwest.

      Reply to Brent
  • daniel 12 years ago

    I also saw it in rochester ny with over fifteen witnesses. that is way to odd. none of us really knew what it was. i saw people talking about in social media and i now i’m typing about it. way too strange for all of that to happen at the same time. i wonder if it happened anywhere else.

    Reply to daniel
    • Nora 12 years ago

      I say the fireball on Saturday night around 8 PM Ronkonkoma Long island NY, we were driving to the store and say this amazing ball of red/orange ball of fire, we pulled over tried to take pics, it then turned bright white and kept moving in the sky and remained wihite in color as it passed by. IT was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

      Reply to Nora
  • db 12 years ago

    Nora – i saw it sat nite too! I thought somebody had fireworks that were duds b/c of the brightness of it and how close it seemed. i’m just north of philadelphia pa

    Reply to db
  • steve douglas 12 years ago

    saw large meteor bright orange with long trail followed it all he horizon till it went behind treeline heading north. 4:30 am sat morning 9/27/14

    Reply to steve
  • Maria McDonough 12 years ago

    I saw a large white fire ball with bright white lights shooting out of it–So beautiful–At first I thought it was a fire but the lights were pure white and it stayed in vision for 5-10 seconds and then was gone–The most beautiful and spiritual sight I have ever seen–The time was 2:22 AM–I saw this over the Mountains of Skytop PA

    Maria McDonough

    Reply to Maria

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