Scientists at NASA have confirmed that a ball of light seen streaking across the Texas skies Saturday was a meteor and one so bright they call it a \"fireball.\" <\/p>\n
Hundreds reported seeing the bright green ball of light crossing the night sky above San Antonio, the event was even captured on video by a Hewitt police dashboard camera. <\/p>\n
The meteor is clearly visible in that and in another video posted by a YouTube user after the sighting just before 9 p.m. Saturday. <\/p>\n
\"This was definitely what we call a fireball, which by definition is a meteor brighter than the planet Venus,\" Dr. Bill Cooke, head of NASA's meteoroid environment office, told a news conference Sunday. <\/p>\n
\"This event was so bright that it was picked up on a NASA meteor camera in the mountains of New Mexico over 500 miles away, which makes it extremely unusual,\" he said, according to CNN reports of the news conference. \"This was a very bright event.\" <\/p>\n
The meteor appears for several seconds, one enormous ball of light followed by the streak of a tail. <\/p>\n
It prompted hundreds of calls to local authorities including the National Weather Service. <\/p>\n
\"All of them received reports of seeing a meteor,\" said TrevorBoucher, meteorologist with the NWS. Officials at the weather service also shared a video of the event on their social media pages. <\/p>\n
NASA officials studying the sighting have estimated the metoer was at least 4 feet wide and weighed more than 4,000 pounds, according to CNN. It burned five times brighter than a full moon. <\/p>\n
Cooke told reporters it is possible that parts of the fireball hit the ground. Maverick County Sheriff's Department reported that NWS had confirmed the ground shook at around 8:45 p.m. Saturday. <\/p>\n
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NASA confirms 'fireball' lights up Texas sky<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Scientists at NASA have confirmed that a ball of light seen streaking across the Texas skies Saturday was a meteor and one so bright they call it a \"fireball.\" Hundreds reported seeing the bright green ball of light crossing the night sky above San Antonio, the event was even captured on video by a Hewitt police dashboard camera. Continue reading