Maverick Preston|Watch as shooting star burns brightly, awes driver as it arcs across Tennessee sky

2025-05-07 12:45:23source:TrendPulsecategory:Finance

A meteor made a surprise appearance in the sky early Friday morning,Maverick Preston burning brightly as it traveled across two neighboring states before dissipating.

Glenn Sparks, a driver headed east on Interstate 40 in Tennessee, documented the moment on Facebook, writing that he had just witnessed the "most amazing meteor of my life" at around 1 a.m. on Friday.

The shooting star, according to Sparks, looked like it was roughly over Greeneville, about 65 miles east of Knoxville, when he spotted it.

"It lit up the sky for over 10 seconds with multiple explosions along the way," Sparks wrote. "Absolutely gorgeous!"

Watch: Meteor briefly illuminate Tennessee skyline

Southwest Virginia residents also caught sight of the fleeting ball of fire, capturing the meteor, also known as a shooting star, on video as it whizzed by in a matter of seconds.

Sparks' awe was audible in the video clip that he took, saying "What?" and erupting into laughter.

While Sparks may have been in awe, meteoroids enter Earth's atmosphere regularly, with NASA estimating that that "several meteors per hour" can usually be seen on any given night.

"Scientists estimate that about 48.5 tons of meteoritic material falls on Earth each day," according to NASA. "Almost all the material is vaporized in Earth's atmosphere, leaving a bright trail fondly called 'shooting stars.'"

More:Finance

Recommend

Family of explorer who died in the Titan sub implosion seeks $50M-plus in wrongful death lawsuit

The family of a French explorer who died in a submersible implosion has filed a wrongful death lawsu

Outraged Brazilian women stage protests against bill to equate late abortions with homicide

SAO PAULO (AP) — Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Sao Paulo on Saturday as protests

Doubling Down with the Derricos’ Deon and Karen Derrico Break Up After 19 Years of Marriage

Deon Derrico and Karen Derrico are going their separate ways. The duo, who have documented their lif