Bright balls of fire were seen soaring across the southern US this weekend and, despite many witnesses, it’s unclear what exactly the mysterious objects were.
People reported seeing the fireballs throughout much of the South, with most witnesses in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, according to the America Meteor Society.
Two reports came from Carrollton, Georgia, with sightings just after 11 p.m. Saturday night.
“At first I thought it might be an aircraft in distress slow descending toward local West Georgia airport,” a woman identified as Beth P. wrote in her submission. “Called airport to report it. They had no distress calls but did suggest after I sent them video that it looked like a fireball!”
Based on videos shared by witnesses, it appears there was initially one large object that broke apart in the night sky, creating a fiery shower in our atmosphere that lingered.
Could it have been a meteor? Space debris?
“ I don’t think it’s a comet or meteor ,” WBRZ meteorologist Malcolm Byron said on X, formerly Twitter. “When these fireballs last for more than 10 seconds, it’s often a satellite or other space junk reentering the atmosphere. Not confirmed, but that’s my hunch.”