Look Up!
A massive meteor leaves quite an impression in Texas: Talk about your shock and awe
What looks to have been a spectacular meteor was spotted by people across Texas earlier this month. Many described it as the biggest they'd seen of its kind.
A long, very bright, slightly green light that fell from the sky, it was documented in a number of photos and videos. YouTube user shadeth got one of the best on his car's dashboard-mounted camera while driving west on Hausman Road in San Antonio.
"Not sure what this was, but it was very bright and slightly green in color to our eyes," reads the caption.
"I swear, it lit up the sky like the sun for about a half second. Never seen anything like it."
Grapevine resident Stephen Denney also caught the meteor on his dash-cam (posted above) while driving on the Sam Rayburn Tollway (121) in Carrollton.
Veteran sky watchers surmised that it was part of a meteor shower for the Andromedids, a recurring meteor event dating back to a comet called 3D/Biela that's been sending out streams for centuries. There are also the annual Leonid meteor showers that can be seen in the Southwest every November.
The American Meteor Society predicted meteoric activity this week, with Nov. 8 the peak night for the Adromedids. The site received numerous reports from witnesses extending from San Antonio to Austin to Houston and as far north as Denton.
It seems to have had excellent visibility in Tarrant County, with sightings in Arlington, Mansfield, Burleson and Weatherford. Jeff Scott, an officer from Dallas Animal Services who was working the night shift, said it was "wonderfully visible from the I-30 and Lamar exit."
"I saw it in north Denton," said one witness. "It was so bright I thought it was a stray firework from (a football) game."
"I swear, it lit up the sky like the sun for about a half second. Never seen anything like it," said another.