Experts confirm that fireballs crossing the skies of the U.S. are actually debris from a Chinese satellite that collided with the Earth’s atmosphere. The images went viral on social media.
Scenes of fireballs crossing the skies of the U.S. went viral on social media. What many initially thought was a meteor was later confirmed by experts to be a deactivated Chinese satellite that collided with the Earth’s atmosphere.
The incident occurred from Saturday night to Sunday. The debris passed through the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Missouri, according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
The astronomer informed the New York Post that the satellite was used for imaging by the Beijing-based company SpaceView.
Dozens of users on X, formerly Twitter, recorded images and were shocked by the flames lighting up the sky.
“I just saw a meteor falling to Earth in Mobile, Alabama, it was huge and the trail was incredible!” posted one user on X.
“I convinced myself that someone had put strange Christmas lights on a hill,” joked another.
🚨#BREAKING: Thousands of witnesses across the Southwest are reporting a large meteor or a satellite breaking apart in the sky creating a spectacular display
Currently, thousands of people across the Southeast, particularly in Kansas, Arkansas,… pic.twitter.com/KRBNwYjcjJ
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) December 22, 2024
Photos and video: X @rawsalerts. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
