The Perseids meteor shower is expected to peak next week. However, many believed it was behind the sky event that lit up the skies in East Tennessee this week.
Perseids Meteor Shower in Tennessee
A bright fireball lit up the sky in East Tennessee in the early hours of Wednesday morning at about 2:13 a.m. The sight was captured by doorbell cameras and dashcams, Wate reported.
Over 70 witness reports from Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia have been submitted to the American Meteor Society, a nonprofit organization that collects reports of meteorological occurrences.
The meteor was believed to be a component of the Perseid meteor shower, which is regarded as one of the most active yearly meteor showers and is known to create spectacular fireballs like the one shown on viewer videos, according to WATE Assistant Chief Meteorologist Victoria Cavaliere.
However, the Perseids are predicted to peak between Aug. 12 and 13. Nevertheless, meteors are frequently visible in the weeks before the peak.
Early on Wednesday, there were no clouds in East Tennessee, allowing clear views of the meteor.
In a prevoius report from Science Times, a fireball light was also observed in Kentucky Tuesday night. According to Mark Joseph, a resident of Keavy, he was looking out over the bay when he heard a loud boom.
He noticed a blue and red fire from the horizon. It reportedly flew over the lake and disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. He said he never saw shooting stars for nearly seven years and it was the first.
The incident could also be related to the Perseids meteor shower, which is underway. A few meteors are expected to be seen before it peaks, according to the Times-Tribune.
About the Perseid Meteor Shower
Perseid is considered the best meteor shower of the year. It will peak around the middle of August, according to NASA.
The constellation Perseus serves as their radiant or the location in the sky from which the Perseids appear to emerge. The name of the shower, Perseids, comes from it as well. The constellation, however, is solely used to help observers identify which meteor shower they are witnessing on a particular night. The meteors are not coming from the constellation.
Perseids frequently leave lengthy "wakes" of light and color behind as they flash through Earth's atmosphere. They are fast and dazzling meteors. With between 50 and 100 meteors visible every hour, the Perseids are one of the most prolific showers. They occur during warm summer nights, making it comfortable for skywatchers to observe them.
The Perseids are renowned for their fireballs as well. Fireballs are brighter, more prolonged flashes of light and color than the typical meteor streak. It is because larger cometary material particles are the source of fireballs. Fireballs have apparent magnitudes greater than -3, making them brighter as well.
The Northern Hemisphere's optimum time to observe the Perseids is just before dawn, though occasionally, meteors from this shower can be seen as early as 10 p.m.
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