Giant Fireball Streaks Across The Sky In Broad Daylight Before Smashing Into A House
A bright fireball streaked across the daytime sky, astonishing onlookers and generating a sonic boom that rattled homes from Georgia to the Carolinas. The brilliant phenomenon, confirmed by NASA as a meteor, ultimately broke into fragments, some of which impacted at least one residence in Henry County, Georgia.
An exceptionally bright meteor appeared to have exploded in the skies over the southeastern U.S. on Thursday. Most of the reports are from Georgia and South Carolina. https://t.co/y9kBJWNJND pic.twitter.com/4Q31tOrbNd
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 26, 2025
Scientists believe a meteor, estimated to be three feet in diameter and weighing over a ton, punched through Earth's atmosphere at 30,000 miles per hour. Around midday, eyewitnesses across multiple states, including Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, started reporting a vivid and intensely bright fireball, some likening it to an "enormous silent firework." The meteor's rapid descent produced a sonic boom, which many initially mistook for an earthquake, causing windows to vibrate and car alarms to sound. The U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed that no seismic activity was detected, though, attributing the tremors solely to the atmospheric shockwave.
NASA reports indicate the meteor first appeared approximately 48 miles above Oxford, Georgia, at 12:25 p.m. EDT. It then traveled southwest, disintegrating at an altitude of about 27 miles above West Forest, Georgia, unleashing energy equivalent to a remarkable 20 tons of TNT. The energy release was so potent that it triggered the Geostationary Lightning Mappers (GLM) aboard NOAA's GOES satellites, devices typically used to detect lightning. Doppler radar also picked up falling debris in the aftermath.
NASA reports indicate the meteor first appeared approximately 48 miles above Oxford, Georgia, at 12:25 p.m. EDT. It then traveled southwest, disintegrating at an altitude of about 27 miles above West Forest, Georgia, unleashing energy equivalent to a remarkable 20 tons of TNT. The energy release was so potent that it triggered the Geostationary Lightning Mappers (GLM) aboard NOAA's GOES satellites, devices typically used to detect lightning. Doppler radar also picked up falling debris in the aftermath.
The American Meteor Society received over 100 reports from observers, with even more dashcam and doorbell camera footage ending up on social media platforms. Michelle Hartley, who witnessed the meteor in Calhoun, recounted, "it was crazy. I keep replaying it in my head."
🚨#UPDATE: The meteor / fireball witnessed by countless people across multiple states has now been confirmed to have struck Earth. Officials say fragments of the meteorite crashed through the roof of a home in Henry County, Georgia. pic.twitter.com/9qrU1BCnyd
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 26, 2025
Meanwhile, emergency management officials in Henry County, Georgia, are investigating a report of a "rock" that allegedly fell through the roof of a home, penetrating the ceiling and even cracking the laminate flooring. While unconfirmed, experts like NASA's Bill Cooke suggest the meteor likely fragmented into dozens, if not hundreds, of pieces, some of which could have reached the ground. Residents are advised to report any suspected meteorite finds to the American Meteor Society and to avoid handling them due to potential hazards.
Astrophysicists describe such an exceptionally bright meteor as a "bolide," a type of fireball that often explodes upon atmospheric entry. While bolides occur several dozen times a year globally, their visibility in broad daylight is considerably rare. Experts have clarified that this event was a sporadic one and has nothing to do with the ongoing June Bootids meteor shower; the meteor's metallic composition—as witnessed by its vibrant turquoise color and orange tail at burn-up—point to a more asteroidal origin.
Astrophysicists describe such an exceptionally bright meteor as a "bolide," a type of fireball that often explodes upon atmospheric entry. While bolides occur several dozen times a year globally, their visibility in broad daylight is considerably rare. Experts have clarified that this event was a sporadic one and has nothing to do with the ongoing June Bootids meteor shower; the meteor's metallic composition—as witnessed by its vibrant turquoise color and orange tail at burn-up—point to a more asteroidal origin.
