Multiple videos show that a fireball - most certainly a meteor - was seen racing through the early morning sky in portions of Colorado on Sunday.
A burning fireball heads down toward the Earth in one video captured by a doorbell camera in Wellington, illuminating the sky with a huge flash of light at one point.
The flame can also be seen in many additional doorbell recordings KCNC obtained from Wellington, Colorado Springs, Loveland, and Bennet. Others in Westminster and Blackhawk also saw the fireball, according to KDVR.
It was also observed in the Pikes Peak region, according to KXRM. Meanwhile, Charlotte Observer said NASA classified a fireball spotted above the North Carolina coast on Friday as a meteor. More than a hundred people claimed to have seen it.
Meteoroid Flying Over Colorado Skies Caught on Camera
Shari Brekenfeld, a resident of Loveland, Colorado, told Rochester First that her security camera recorded the meteoroid flying over.
In the same report, Andrew Fisher, who lives 25 miles away in Wellington, also said that his south-facing Nest camera got footage of the meteor descending to Earth. You can see the footage below this page.
Similar footage was captured by a homeowner in Gilpin County (95 miles from Wellington), which clearly shows the night sky lighted up by the meteor coming down.
Not The First Time For Colorado to See Meteoroid
This isn't the first time people of Colorado have seen a fireball display. In 2015, NASA said witnesses saw a fireball flying above southern Wyoming and northern Colorado,
According to NASA, it traveled at a speed of around 2,000 miles per hour. As the preliminary estimates, it had a top speed of 45,000 mph (more than 72,000 km/h) and weighed about two to four pounds.
KRDO said the fireball is an Earthgrazer, a meteor that collides with the Earth's atmosphere at an extremely shallow angle. They can go a long distance before entirely burning up.
Draconid And Orionid Meteors to Light Up Colorado Skies
The Draconids and Orionids meteor showers usually come to the sky above Colorado every October, Patch said. Still, it won't be visible in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Draconids meteor shower, which lasts from October 6 to 10, is popular among stargazers since the optimum viewing periods are just after dusk. On October 8, the night of the Draconids peak, the sun sets at 6:32 p.m. in Colorado.
Skywatchers might witness meteors from both the Draconids and the Orionids for a limited period of time.
The Orionids are visible from October 2 to November 7, although their peak is in the early morning hours of October 21. Sunrise in Colorado is about 7:16 a.m. on October 21, when the shower peaks in the pre-dawn hours, if you intend on being out and about to watch it.
Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.
