(WSVN) - The National Weather Service has identified a streak in the sky spotted across South Florida as an “apparent meteor.”
Dozens of home surveillance cameras throughout the region captured the streak lighting up the night sky, Monday.
“What it is most likely is a meteor,” said Dr. Angela Colbert, a meteorologist with the Frost Museum of Science. “Most likely what happened is a meteor bounced off the atmosphere, creating that quick little fireball that you saw, that flash of light that was bright enough to actually get captured in the lightning detection software.”
The National Weather Service in Tampa called it an “apparent meteor,” but no official confirmation has been made.
One 7News viewer captured a video of a bright ball of light in the night sky on their dashcam. The ball streaked, exploded then disappeared.
The same sight could be seen from a doorbell camera in Parkland.
Although the projectile looked close to Earth, Colbert said it was not.
“Because of the big flash you see, that also helps make it look bigger and closer because light travels differently,” Colbert said.
The American Meteor Society said Monday night’s flash of light was brighter than Venus.
Colbert added meteors hitting Earth’s atmosphere are a common occurrence, but Monday’s sight was unique.
“Actually getting to see one because it didn’t happen during the day,” Colbert said. “It happened at night when people were actually out isn’t as common, and so that’s what makes it so exciting to actually get to see one and capture it in video.”
Colbert said the meteor most likely burned up in the atmosphere and did not make it to the surface.
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