Witness Reports Bright Flash That Lit Up Skies Over New York State

A person in New York state reported an object in the skies that they say "lit up everything" late in the afternoon January 15. Numerous reports were filed by residents in other Northeastern states, who also claim they saw the same fireball streaking across the sky that same day.

Fireballs are defined by the International Astronomical Union as "a meteor brighter than any of the planets". Meteors and fireballs can easily light up the sky, as these fast-moving space rocks often burn up in the upper parts of Earth's atmosphere upon entry.

Witness Reports Bright Flash That Lit Up Skies Over New York State

A witness from Athens, New York filed a report with the American Meteor Society that they witnessed what appeared to be a meteor in the skies January 15. The resident described the object creating a "bright flash" that "lit up everything". The account further described the fireball as "bright like a welding arc."

See Also: New York State Resident Claims Strange Object Emitted Red & Blue Lights, Caused Loud Booms

The video below of the same event was taken by Mark Kirschner from Northford, CT. You can briefly spot the object falling quickly towards the sunset at around :02 seconds into the video.

The report indicated that the object was "light blue white purple". According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Dave Samuhel, "different chemicals in the meteors produce different colors as they burn up while entering the Earth’s atmosphere".

AccuWeather says speed is another factor, as the blue and other more brilliant colored fireballs mean the object is traveling faster than a fainter one. A purple meteor indicates that the meteor is made of calcium, according to experts.

See Also: Object Traveling Over 38 Thousand MPH Reported Over Lower Hudson Valley