American Meteor Society
The American Meteor Society has received over 1100 reports of a bright fireball on Monday evening, November 3, 2014. It was observed over a large portion of the eastern USA stretching from Georgia northward to Ohio. This event occurred near 6:23pm eastern standard time or 23:23 Universal Time. While processing these reports the feature that was most mentioned was the vivid green color mentioned by many witnesses. Individual reports may be seen at: Report #2908 for 2014.
More details will be provided as information arrives. With over 1100 reports, this event ranks among the top 5 fireball events reported to the AMS over the last 10 years.
If you saw this fireball, please report it here.
Below is the heat map of the witnesses of this event.
AMS Event #2908-2014 – Heatmap
Below is a 3D trajectory of the fireball’s entry plotted by the AMS using data from the witness sightings. The geometric impact point is located on the border between the Webster County and the Randolph County.
AMS Event #2908-2014 – Trajectory
Benwood Police, in the northern panhandle of West Virginia, caught the fireball on a dash camera cruiser:
I witnessed the fireball Nov 3rd , I was traveling north in the 8000 block of Middle Valley Rd, Hixson Tn . 37343. The fireball was traveling from my left to right .
I did see a giant fireball, to me the bottom part was red, the middle white and hte endtail was blue, I thought I had to pull over and take cover.
Traveling home from Cincinnati, Ohio on I64 close to Ashland, Kentucy… I pointed it out to my husband. I told him look it’s a Falling Star. 😉 it was a very big and beautiful with many different colors from orangish, purplish, greenish and bluish…. He thought someone had shot a big firework over the Interstate.
I saw it driving from Louisville, KY to Lexington, KY it was a bright greenish color!
I saw a green fireball around 8:30 p.m. CT near Alvin, TX. It appeared to be dropping straight of the sky rather than crossing it.
Straight *out* of the sky, I should say. And it was last night, 11/3/14.
I’m pretty sure I witnessed the same one. 8:26pm I saw a vertical green falling straight down as I was traveling south on beltway 8. Too far to say exactly which suburb it fell in or if it was actually in Houston either.
Fireball was observed at approx. 2030 (CST) 2130 (EST) standing in Cragford, AL.
It’s position was almost due east at about 45 degrees above horizan, it did have what appeared to be a tail aimed at about 2 o’clock. It was traveling NN Central at about 350 degrees.
Very clear night with bright 3/4 moon.
It was a great sight.
Driving north on Hwy 27 and entering the town of Dayton Tn….after 6 pm and seen the fireball….awesome sight!!…it was very large
I observed the fireball as I was exiting east bound I-70 at Indiana State Road 9 (Greenfield Indiana). I was directly in front of me and looked like a large bottle rocket descending. It lasted for maybe 3 or 4 seconds.
Same here… I had just passed the Rest Area after the Greenfield Exit.
I saw a large and bright meteor on Nov 3, 2014 at about 7:55 PM EST followed about 40 to 60 seconds later by a much smaller one on the same path in the same region of sky. The large one was very low on my horizon and arced downward sharply as it burned up; the smaller one traveled a less curved path.
I was at 42.230708, -70.971631 facing about 225 degs SSW and the meteors traveled from right to left from about 30 degrees down to 20 degrees above the horizon.
It was the biggest one I have ever seen so I had the feeling it would be followed by more in the same area.
Me and my wife were heading home from a friends traveling down hardy road in white pine Tennessee when me and my wife both began to speak at the same time,i said look at the shooting star but quickly noticed that not what it was,it looked as big as a basketball in the sky burning white and green with a fiery red tail,we both feel lucky to have seen it,it was very cool.
I caught it on my dashcam. Northbound 400 at exit 12, North of Alpharetta, Georgia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjbBH-VrRA0
Great that you caught it on film! I kept hoping for a dashcam view.
i was driving east on hwy 90 to Somerset,ky. my zipcode where i saw it is 42633.biggest one i have ever seen and very bright
I saw it around 6:20pm on St. Rt 607, The Lake Street in Clintwood VA. I almost wrecked because of it. I was in a narrow curve and was looking at the fireball and not were I was going. It was in the southwest portion of the sky. I was on my way home. I thought someone was sitting off fireworks.
No report of fireball here. Might have been making dinner.
However, there were two shooting stars in the evening sky past 8 pm.
And reported some comets to a friend who is a rocket scientist back in the late nineties;
those comets are still visible around dusk during the fall from Centerville, Massachusetts.
I saw it the fireball around 6:20pm on November 3 in Wise, VA.
My husband and I saw a very bright and clear fireball meteorite on our way home from an early dinner Monday 11/03/14. It was a very striking event because it was travelling very fast and just shot past our car windows, and it also was clearly flaming and producing green flames. It topped off an absolutely wonderful evening out. We live in Chuckey Tennessee, near the town of Greeneville.
Charlotte, NC – Saw it fall almost vertically due north, green with several impressive spikes in brightness. Very short-lived trail (<5 sec) after it faded. Pure luck that I was on the road facing that direction!
I am pretty sure I saw it last night as I was driving in Wake Forest, NC. It was at the Wake and Franklin County line. I just left the house at 6:20 and was at the stop light at Naxos Dr and US1 when I saw a flash of white in the sky. I saw it out of the corner of my eye. I thought it might have been a shooting star, but I dismissed it at the time as just seeing street lights through the trees.
Chris, I live in Raleigh, and I saw it driving down 40 westbound too, a little after 6:20 last night. Went by so fast, I wasn’t sure that was what I really saw until I googled it.
I saw it on I-79 south in West Virginia around 6:30 pm after leaving work. It was a bright white light that lite up the sky.
We saw the fireball @ 1823 from our home in Keysville, VA 23947
I saw the fireball over the skies of North Canton Oh around 6:00 pm on No 3rd. It was bright green and looked almost like a shooting star but super bigger and super bright. It went from West to East.
I saw what looked like a rocket streak across the sky with fire coming out the back……I was driving and only saw a second of it, then trees blocked my view and I didn’t see it again, wasn’t sure if it was some sort of optical illusion or what. I was on Middle Road in Frederick County, Virginia west of Winchester Va, heading towards Shenandoah County near Richards Market. I haven’t heard anyone else mention it. It is not far from the WV state line, near North Mountain.
We saw a fireball from the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago about 6:20pm ct. It was moving from northwest to southeast, and looked like a giant sparkler. I thought it was some sort of advertising gimick like a searchlight, but after seeing these reports I think it must have been a meteor. Very cool!
Never mind. Just learned in Chicago it was a stunt by red bull involving skydivers. Bummer.
Traveling home northbound on 23 toward Pound Va, saw the fireball come over in front of my car windshield from left to right. Very bright and quickly gone with delayed boom sound. Amazed I saw it because it was over so quickly, wondered if anyone besides me saw it also.
The time was 6:20 exactly. I made a point to look at the time in my car.
Me and my dad saw the green fire ball while we were driving down snapps ferry rd in Greeneville TN … It was pretty cool
We were driving east on hwy 70 in Lebanon Tn. It was a big ball of light. It didn’t last long when we saw it. We knew it wasn’t normal, but didn’t know what it was.
My son and I saw this on November 3, approximately 6:20 to 6:25 PM heading east on PA route 209, between Millersburg and Elizabethville, just as we were entering Elizabethville. It appeared as though it was a very bright flash on the horizon, as quick as a lightning strike but too broad for a lightning strike. We were both very startled but had no idea what it was. Now I guess we do.
Saw it driving down hwy 40 west in Raleigh, N.C., last night. Was bright white and happened very fast (half-second or so) was gone before I could get the kid’s attention in the baxk seat to it.
We saw it as we were driving westbound on Rt 267 in Sterling, VA. It was bright green and appeared to be moving straight down. Super cool!
Lovely green ball of light w/short & slightly shimmering trail behind it. I was in our backyard (facing south) in Columbus, OH @ approximately 6:20pm when it caught my attention in the southeastern sky. It was only visible for a few seconds & appeared to be coming from the west & dropping southeast of our location (zip 43232).
I had just taken our dog outside for his final nightly stroll and saw it (a meteorite) fall straight down. Not shoot across the sky like you would normally see, but it went straight down. It was pretty large too. It was also slower than the ones I’ve seen in the past. I saw it in Seymour, Tennessee about 9:30ish p.m. I remember the time slot because I looked at the clock before going outside. it was neat to see. Unusual and odd in character to say the least, but I was happy I got to see it.
I saw it aron d 6:20 pm in McDowell, Kentucky. Very interesting! I’ve never seen anything like it.
I too dismissed it as a fallen star, but quickly realized what it was. I was driving in Greensboro NC on I-40 W at or around 6:20 pm in Nov 3. It was a sight to see. Glad I was able to witness it.
I did not witness this one but I did see one with a green green glow about two weeks prior and at approximately 3 AM. But I have seen numerous of the same green colored lobs in the past coulple months and they always are traveling on the same trajectory. I live in north ga
I didn’t see this one, but I have seen a big, slow green meteor in so many Novembers in my life, I can’t remember how many anymore.
My husband and I saw it; we were in Waterford Ohio. Seemed like it was so close.
I, too, saw this. I was out looking up at the beautiful full moon and suddenly, this object, bright yellow appeared. It was so bright and moved at lightening speed. It appeared to be so low making it so clear to see. This was over Chesapeake, Virginia. So thrilled I got to see it!
I saw one at 10;40 am CDT Monday morning while driving and looking north from Jackson, Ms.
We saw this Mon around 6:30pm between Hudson and south new hope close to Rite aide in Gastonia NC
I saw a short fireball when I was driving southeast to Corpus Christi, tx (about 40 min out) in the evening nov. 3rd and just saw another longer and larger one (nov. 8th) in mission, tx heading westbound off on expressway 83 at 8:46pm. I’ve gone my whole life without seeing a Meteor fireball and have now seen two in one week. Both were green.
saw the bright green light around 6:30pm, driving north on I-77, Charlotte, NC.
This was in southern Kentucky. We live on the Kentucky/Tennessee border.
saw what I thought was a shooting star, right before 8:00 p.m. on November 3, 2014. Did not see color or hear anything, just a big meteor in the eastern sky and travelling down.
Funny thing here it is November 11 2014 and me and my daughter seen something similar to what everyone else said they seen on November 3 and we seen this approximately same time 620 630 but on 11th ,very fast with color and was very questionable as if a shooting star yet to fast for any aircraft I have ever encountered and I have seen sound barrier breakers and this was way faster. Is this just coincidence?
At 9:20 pm today November 20th, I saw the same as all describe above. Like a huge green fireball falling from the sky, incDonough GA.
At 9:20pm on November 20 2014, I was traveling south on highway 411 leaving Maryville i got off work and was heading home and saw one heading downward at roughly a 45 degree angle from left to right and from my point of view it was approximately 3500 feet in the air obviously it wasn’t in our atmosphere I used to be a Boatswains mate in the navy I tracked it for the brief seconds that it was visible as if it were an aircraft I’m not going to lie I’ve never seen anything like it I’ve seen loads of shooting stars at sea and this was very different and really cool
I first saw a green fireball about six months ago in largo Florida and now again in belleair bluffs fl just about 30 minutes ago. I was looking south and it traveled from north to south awY from me on a downward angle
I saw something just like this – a bright green falling fireball – about 11:00 tonight off I-75 in northern TN.