Meteor Lights Up East Coast
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Chad Baker/Photodisc/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Security cameras and night owls noticed a bright flash in the sky on Friday night that experts believe was a meteor.
The flash was seen as far north as Maine and as far south as North Carolina. According to the American Meteor Society, over 600 sightings were reported, some as far inland as Ohio.
Just after the 8:00 p.m. event, photos and videos of the flash were widespread on Facebook and Twitter Friday night.
According to the American Meteor Society, nearly all meteors burn up between 10 and 20 miles above the Earth’s surface. The flash was likely caused by one of those meteors turning into a fireball in the upper atmosphere.
Despite the fact that a large meteor crashed into the Siberia region of Russia last month, injuring over 1,000 residents, experts say there is no cause for alarm in this incident.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden urged lawmakers for additional funding to build telescopes that would be able to track dangerous meteors before they entered Earth’s atmosphere during a hearing on Capitol Hill last week.
When asked what NASA’s plan would be if a meteor was determined to be imminently headed towards New York City, Bolden replied, “If it’s coming in three weeks, pray.
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