12 states, including Kentucky, saw a massive fireball light up the night sky, did you see it?

Massive Fireball

When you watch the videos (posted below) of the massive fireball lighting up the night sky over Kentucky, it looks like something otherworldly. Seeing shooting stars are one thing, but for security cameras to pick up this fireball because it was so bright is another.   Folks in 12 different states reported seeing the fireball in the sky.

What Was the Massive Fireball?

The fireball that many across the U.S. saw light up the night, was actually a meteor traveling around 51,000 miles per hour.  According to NASA this meteor first became visible over Clementsville, Kentucky which seems to be why so many in the Bluegrass State got such a good view.

The meteor first became visible at an altitude of 53 miles above the Kentucky town of Clementsville, moving a little south of west at 51,000 miles per hour. The object managed to travel 30 miles through the upper atmosphere before disintegrating 30 miles above the small town of Exie. The breakup of the fireball unleashed an energy of about 10 tons of TNT, which generated a pressure wave that traveled to the ground; this wave is responsible for the noises heard by some eyewitnesses. Th

NASA says that data indicates that the fireball was a meteoroid that was only about 20 inches in diameter, but weighed a whopping 400 pounds!  See NASA's full statement, here. 

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Incredible Footage of the Fireball Over Kentucky

What makes this event so unique, is that so many cameras happened to catch it.  Check out this video from Weather Now Kentucky out of Richardsville.  The way the sky lights up is wild.

Then there's this video that was also shared by Weather Now Kentucky that shows the actual meteor flying across the night sky.