Fireball streaked across New Jersey sky Monday evening, observers say

If you saw a bright object race across sky around 6:40 p.m. today, you’re not alone.

Some took to the internet to post reports about a fireball passing overhead. 

A fireball is another term for a very bright meteor, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS). 

JSHN contributor Sandy Johnson was traveling on the Garden State Parkway near Exit 63 when she saw a “blue then green ball” with a “white tail” streaking across the sky.

Eyewitness reports from across the region also appeared on the AMS website. 

To the north in Plumsted, Kerri G. wrote:

This was the brightest, bluest meteor I’ve ever seen, and the glowing trail and the breaking apart was equally consistent the entire length until it left the atmosphere. It was totally by chance that I was in the right place at the right time. I was walking my dog, but had paused to take a big inhale of the smell of the night air, and I was looking directly at the spot in the sky when I heard the noise and saw it appear.

AMS says “several thousand” fireballs occur each day, but they are rarely seen.

“The vast majority of these, however, occur over the oceans and uninhabited regions, and a good many are masked by daylight. Those that occur at night also stand little chance of being detected due to the relatively low numbers of persons out to notice them,” a fireball FAQ from AMS notes. 

There was no official confirmation from NASA.

Read more about fireballs here.