COLUMBUS – An expert says a flash that lit up the skies over parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio in the wee hours of Wednesday was most likely a random meteor.
We caught a meteor on a couple of our https://t.co/ulNKKYK5kb cameras this morning. Read more here: https://t.co/IjFhBqvaUS pic.twitter.com/EgSGTgiIfI
— Ohio Dept of Transportation (@ODOT_Statewide) September 30, 2020
The flash in the sky, visible from downtown Columbus, was reported by social media users in the Pittsburgh area who reported seeing a streaking fireball shortly after 4:00 a.m. Wednesday, though Columbus residents say they saw it closer to 6:25 a.m.
It remained in the skies for a short time before disappearing from view.
The American Meteor Society says it received more than 200 reports of a bright fireball over eastern Ohio. An official with the nonprofit says it was probably a random meteor not associated with any known meteor shower.
Robert Lunsford of the group suspects the object was probably a bit larger than a softball, big enough to create a flash as bright as a full moon.