If recent Webb telescope photos didn’t prove how tiny we are in the universe, a fireball flashing across the sky in the Washington DC area Thursday provided another brilliant example.
Captured on video by reader Richard Barnhill, a meteor was spotted burning up in the atmosphere in West Arlington at 9:57 pm.
Bright meteor from west Arlington, looking WNW tonight! @capitalweather @MatthewCappucci pic.twitter.com/be8EjOSn2O
— Richard Barnhill (@wolfpackwx) July 29, 2022
“I really wish I had a great story like ‘I was out walking my dog and then all of a sudden a bright light appeared in the sky’, but alas, not so spectacular,” Richard Barnhill admitted to us in an interview. “I had just finished working out and was scrolling through Twitter when I saw reports of a fireball in the DC sky. So, I decided to check my cameras.
“We have a spare Nest camera that we use for the kids when we travel, so when we are home, I put it in an upstairs bedroom window, facing west. Primarily, I am looking to capture sunsets and time-lapses of storms approaching the DC region from west Arlington. However, tonight, it just so happened to be pointing exactly where the fireball occurred! Guess capturing it was just dumb luck!”
At the start, you can see the storms firing off west of DC. They quickly moved through the area, clearing the sky for an amazing sunset! #dcwx pic.twitter.com/J5jBe3wD9v
— Richard Barnhill (@wolfpackwx) July 29, 2022
There were dozens of sightings of the fireball recorded on the American Meteor Society’s website from Harrisonburg, VA, and Thurmont, MD, to Martinsburg, WV, and Palmyra, PA.
[Have video of the fireball that we can include? Shoot us a message on social media (Twitter/Instagram) or drop us a link of it in the comments.]
According to the Washington Post, the fireball could have been an early flourish from the Delta Aquariids meteor shower which is expected to peak this weekend.
[T]he Aquariids are known for their persistent trains — meaning that they’ll leave glowing ionized trails of gas in their path, glistening for a few seconds in their wake.
That would sync with the fireball observed on Thursday which was described as “huge”, “slow”, and “bright.”
Heading NW on rte 7, exact GPS coordinates in clip. pic.twitter.com/rLut6yqqvj
— Lauren Graham (@lmgraham4) July 29, 2022
As for Barnhill, a Meteorology grad from NC State, the video concluded a crazy day of picturesque skies that included a rainbow, storm, and beautiful sunset.
This article was written by RMNB, a local hockey blog who accidentally became Global Meteor Experts like nine years ago. Thanks, Kuzy!
Screenshot: @wolfpackwx/Twitter
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