NASA reports meteor sighting over North Carolina, Tennessee
The gist
NASA says a 2-inch, 6-ounce asteroid fragment streaked over Tennessee at 47,000 mph on Nov. 5.
NASA said it was not part of the Taurid shower.
How it unfolded
- Nov 5, 2026 19:45 ESTWitnesses reported a fireball over southern Tennessee at about 7:45 p.m. EST on Thursday.
- Nov 5, 2026The meteor was first seen 53 miles above Robbinsville, North Carolina, moving south of west at 47,000 mph, and traveled about 120 miles toward East Ridge, Tennessee in under 10 seconds.
- Nov 5, 2026The object disintegrated 25 miles above East Ridge, Tennessee, just southeast of Chattanooga; four NASA All Sky cameras in the region detected it.
Key terms
- Taurid shower
- An annual meteor shower associated with Comet Encke, with Northern and Southern components, named for its radiant in Taurus.
- fireball
- An exceptionally bright meteor, sometimes defined as one with apparent magnitude −4 or brighter.
- meteor shower
- A celestial event where many meteors appear to radiate from one point in the night sky as debris enters the atmosphere.
Source: Wikipedia