Only days after the meteorite fell in Russia, injuring over a thousand people, Floridians are reporting that they too witnessed a celestial event. South Floridians reported seeing a flare-like object in the sky on Sunday night.
The object, which appears to be a bright flare in the sky, was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard's command from several different residents at around 7:30 p.m. EST. While the Coast Guard sent out a helicopter to check whether or not the light was caused by a signal flare near the MacArthur Causeway in Miami, they were unable to locate anything there. Currently the Coast Guard is unable to confirm or deny whether the sigh was a meteor shower.
It wouldn't be surprising if the sight were a meteor shower, though. The celestial event is more common than you might expect. In fact, fireballs such as the one seen in Russian skies happen about once a day or so, according to Jim Green, NASA's director of planetary science, on NASA TV. "We just don't see them because many of them fall over the ocean or in remote areas," he said.
Even though a rash of meteorite sightings has made the news since the Russian event, including a recent sighting in California, it's possibly due to public awareness rather than an actual increase in events. More people are looking up at the night skies and taking note of any bright flashes that they see.
"For the first time people are going outside, away from the bright light-polluted areas. They're going down to the sea shores and they're seeing meteors streak across the sky," said Stephen Schiff, president of the Astronomical Society of the Palm Beaches in an interview with Wptv.com. "Now this happens 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. But for the first time, people are looking up."
Source : Scienceworldreport
The object, which appears to be a bright flare in the sky, was reported to the U.S. Coast Guard's command from several different residents at around 7:30 p.m. EST. While the Coast Guard sent out a helicopter to check whether or not the light was caused by a signal flare near the MacArthur Causeway in Miami, they were unable to locate anything there. Currently the Coast Guard is unable to confirm or deny whether the sigh was a meteor shower.
It wouldn't be surprising if the sight were a meteor shower, though. The celestial event is more common than you might expect. In fact, fireballs such as the one seen in Russian skies happen about once a day or so, according to Jim Green, NASA's director of planetary science, on NASA TV. "We just don't see them because many of them fall over the ocean or in remote areas," he said.
Even though a rash of meteorite sightings has made the news since the Russian event, including a recent sighting in California, it's possibly due to public awareness rather than an actual increase in events. More people are looking up at the night skies and taking note of any bright flashes that they see.
"For the first time people are going outside, away from the bright light-polluted areas. They're going down to the sea shores and they're seeing meteors streak across the sky," said Stephen Schiff, president of the Astronomical Society of the Palm Beaches in an interview with Wptv.com. "Now this happens 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. But for the first time, people are looking up."
Source : Scienceworldreport
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