Astronomer explains recent flashes in southwest Florida sky
A streak of light that crossed the sky in southwest Florida on Monday night was likely a bolide, an official at the Everglades Astronomical Society confirmed.
A bolide refers a special type of fireball emitted by a large meteor or asteroid as it explodes in the atmosphere, often with visible fragmentation, according to the American Meteor Society.
CBS Fort Myers, Florida affiliate WINK shared video of the event on Monday:
The original object that caused the bolide was mostly likely the size of a grape, Mike Usher of the Everglades Astronomical Society told WINK.
“It glowed brilliantly as it hit the Earth’s atmosphere going 10, 20, 30 miles a second,” User said on Monday’s fireball. “That was simply its death cry as it hit the earth.”
Bolides are not particularly rare to those who invest time in watching for the events, Usher said.
“You’d have to spend a number of nights outside under the stars before you’re likely to see one, but probably at any given time, a hundred bolides hit the earth every day,” he said.
