Astrology

An unconfirmed object streaked across the Gulf Coast sky

An object streaked across the Gulf Coast sky on Sunday night, Gulf Coast News and Weather reports, though it has not been confirmed as a meteor. Videos captured the sight, which drew the attention of residents along the coast.

The sighting came while the Leonid meteor shower was active, according to NASA. Gulf Coast News and Weather reports that the shower had not yet reached its peak and that the object's identity remained unconfirmed.

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The Leonids have not peaked#

NASA said meteors can be spotted during the active shower, Gulf Coast News and Weather reports. The agency described the Leonids as a shower that does not produce high hourly counts but is known for bright, slow-moving fireballs.

A meteor is the visible path of an asteroid fragment entering Earth's atmosphere, according to NASA, as reported by CBS News. Astronomers call an especially bright meteor a fireball, and its brightness can make it visible across a wide area.

The Gulf Coast sighting remains separate from a confirmed fireball over North Carolina and Tennessee. NASA determined that the latter was a small piece of an asteroid, CBS News reports, and said it was not part of the active Taurid meteor shower.

An earlier shower, the Orionids, peaked on the evening and early morning of Oct. 21-22, KCCI Des Moines reports. Its meteors come from debris left by comet Halley, which also produces the Eta Aquarids shower in May.

Cameras tracked the Tennessee fireball#

The confirmed fireball appeared on Thursday night at about 50 miles above Robbinsville, North Carolina, CBS News reports. NASA said it traveled west into southern Tennessee at 47,000 mph and dissipated about 25 miles above East Ridge, near Chattanooga.

About 10 seconds passed between its first and last sightings. NASA analyzed footage from sky cameras, specialized imaging systems stationed across the region, including at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Georgia, CBS News reports.

NASA estimated that the asteroid fragment measured two inches across and weighed six ounces. The agency also used camera footage from Huntsville, Alabama, Tullahoma, Tennessee, and a location near the Tennessee-North Carolina border, according to CBS News.

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