American Meteor Society
Over 550 witnesses have reported a large early morning fireball seen across the southern states of Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.
Occurring at approximately 06:48 CDT on October 12th, witnesses described glowing orange fragments seen while the sun was rising and the sky was bright. Numerous witnesses reported a blue smoke trail lingering for 5 minutes.
Below is a video of the event caught on a dashcam by Paul Sinka ©
Below is a another video of the event caught on a dashcam by Youtube user jrtech99 ©
Below is are two videos with narrative by AMS user Darrell Barnes©
Below are maps of the witness sightings and estimated trajectory.
If you witnessed the fireball please fill out a report. If you recorded video or pictures of the fireball or the smoke trail please email them to mike.hankey [at] gmail.com.
This page will be updated as more information is received.
Yes, As you know at night we are able to see Saturn, Mars, with the naked eye. I have been seeing another ‘red planet’ as well. What is this?
Heather and All,
The bright red star Antares lies in the same portion of the sky as Mars and Saturn. Perhaps this is what you are seeing?
Robert Lunsford
Hey Mike my name is David Kenney. I’m a reporter with WLBT tv in Jackson MS. if you get emails and pictures of this meteorite will you be sharing them on your site? I’d love to use them if possible. Thanks
David,
We will post any pictures or video we receive asap.
Robert Lunsford
Here is a dashcam video from West Tn/MS
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1208301982561728
I saw the meteor in Alabaster AL in the western sky. Blue/green BRIGHT streaking 11 to 4. It burned out about 20° over the horizon. Breaking into 2 pieces.
Saw it too in NW Ga. Very cool event
Saw the fireball around that time of morning. Was on my front porch and it went from east to west over my house.
Bermuda, Alabama near Monroeville
SAW THE FIREBALL 10-12-16 AT 6:50 COMING IN TO MONTGOMERY FROM TALLASSEE. IT WAS ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE AND JUST CAUGHT IT IN THE UPPER CORNER OF THE WINDSHIELD. IT WAS GREEN AND BRIGHT YELLOW AS IT BURST INTO MANY PIECES. WAS NEAT TO WATCH FOR ONLY A COUPLE OF SEC.
Saw it this morning 10/12/16 while driving on hey 120 on harassing county. Large bright fireball traveling ne to sw.
I witnessed this on my way into work at Nashville international airport between 0645-0650 this morning. It was huge and bright
Seen in Rome Ga. as well … I saw it the instant it entered the Atmosphere … sparkled and then formed a blue white trail
I saw the meteor while driving home from overnight plant shift in Sorrento, LA area. It was bright white like an arc welder’s flash but steadily moving quickly toward the western skyline.
I witnessed a falling “object,” traveling east to west north of Picayune, Missisiippi at about 6:52 a.m. October 12, 2016. it’s head appeared to be “bluish” with a tail like the color of a sparkler on the 4th of July. The large size of the object was surprising, . It’s trajectory had no apparent arc. . It lasted, within my view, ia few seconds.
I saw a metor in Lumberton, ms. about 6:50 am head from to east to west today . Amazing view. That my second one I have seen.
I saw it this morning! I thought I was losing my mind or someone was shooting fireworks!! It was the coolest thing I have ever seen!
Very visible in Rome Ga. Unbelievably bright … my report apparently matches most others in time, track and color … Very Cool Indeed
I seen it this morning too. I was on the Westbank facing the Huey P Long bridge. It looked like a big burst of light streaking across the sky, it faded then got big again before fading away.
I was heading West west on hwy 80 just off I-65 @ 6:50 and seen a blueish-green object burn out about 20º above the western horizon. I took it as space junk. It’s pretty common occurrence.
Yes wen I saw it was blue more or a neon green color
Seen the fire ball this moring as I was traveling east bound on i22 n mississippi
I saw the fireball this morning on my way to work. Looked like a flare. Eufaula, Alabama
Omg I said the exact thing I was going on & on for about a hr about it
I saw the same event this morning ( 10/12/2016 ) at approximately 7:48 this morning in Rome Ga. which is in NW Ga about 65 miles NW of Atlanta and 60 miles from Chattanooga. I witnessed it the second it entered the atmosphere saw I saw the very front end of the event. My recollection was of a Yellow / White ball with orange fragments and a blue white trail. Seems to jive with multiple other eye witness accounts. The guy riding with me swallowed his dip when I shouted METEOR ! 🙂 The sky was Chrystal Clear. From the report I saw it appears to has crossed between us and Columbus GA and perhaps slightly North of Birmingham AL … just guessing there.
I was in Peachtree Corners, GA (Norcross, GA) and saw it at exactly 7:48 am, it was very low to my front right and was very bright, it was green in color and I saw no trail or fragments; it was in view for about 1 second. It is funny how the color varies but I guess it does so depending on where it appears in the sky and lots of other factors. It was the first time I have seen such a bright fireball. Very cool.
Large fireball in the sky over Lumberton, ms. Around 6:50 am today.
I saw the meteor in Mandeville, LA at about 6:48 am Oct. 12. A once in a lifetime sighting of huge very bright white light, traveling in straight trajectory at downward angle. Beautiful!
Saw in rout to work, roughly 6:45 am, Wednesday October 12, 2016, on Jackson Liberty Rd, in the west Lincoln community of Mississippi. The fog was so thick at the time it was hard to even make out the tops of the trees along the road, when it flashed across from east to west. It was bright like a welding bead even through the thick fog, and appeared to have a trail of sparks behind it that dispersed quickly. Would have been quite a sight on a clear day.
I seen it this morning at the red light in Madison ,Tn it looked too slow and going not downwards enough to be meteor or space junk. It was bright green and dark cloudy long tail
Seen it in Oxford Ms. It was bright and looked close. Coolest thing I have ever seen.
Wen I saw I called my friend & I was going on & on and I was like if I had of ran I probably could have caught it. It was like it was 3D
I saw the fire ball yesterday morning around 6:45am. I was headed South on I85 in Montgomery, AL
My daughter called me this moring, saying she saw a bright object traveling across the sky. She was on her way to work. Atlanta, Ga.
Oh my goodness , just amazing!!!!!
Sorry you and I did not see it, as much as we are always looking in the sky. Dee said she wish I could have seen it, since I am the one who is so fascinated with everything that goes on above, and hardly never find anything. But I keep looking.
I was in moss point ms & my daughter and I saw it at 645 ish………..
Is it possible this was the reentry of the SL-6 Rocket Body?
Reentry of the body happened on the 12th and was predicted to come down over the Pacific Ocean…
I’d prefer this idea over rogue space rocks! (O_O)
Nice thought but the SL-6 was predicted to reenter sometime later north of Australia. None of the tracks before or after pass near the area where this fireball was observed.
Robert Lunsford
I was sitting behind a red light, on my way to work when I spotted this thing entering the atmosphere and began to break up, but went below the tree line. I have never seen anything like this before and didn’t know what to expect when this thing landed. I was in Newnan, Ga, so I was surprised to learn that it fell over Mississippi and was only 5 inches in size, when it looked large enough to be a rocket or small craft coming down!
Glad I found this it answered my question. I saw the event going to work in Conyers GA. I sent myself the following text (at a stoplight) “I just saw a shooting star a missile or a plane just went down. Looking West on 138.” 10/12/16 7:50am
I saw it in Eastern Texas that morning. I had an open view of the horizon because I was driving East coming into Crockett from Centerville on Highway 7 at approximately 6:38 a.m. The sky was a bright orange, but the sun was still below the horizon. It crossed low on the horizon, went behind a bank of gray clouds and came out from behind them, curving around the horizon, blazing onward. It was a brilliant, palest golden-white light. I would describe it as looking like a sparkler traveling across the horizon.
Huge fireball about 5:30 this morning seek off the west coast of Florida lasted 10 seconds looked like something out of the movies broke into 3 pieces. Thought it would have boomed
I saw it the morning of October 12, 2016. I was near Pearl River, LA driving north on I-59. The fireball was moving east to west, and from my perspective, it was green in color.