A calm night in Ohio was briefly interrupted by a sudden flash in the sky and a loud boom that followed moments later. The incident, captured on a doorbell camera, and later on a dashcam, showed a bright fireball streaking across the night sky. The object is believed to be a fast-moving meteor, travelling at such speed that it triggered a sonic boom as it descended toward Earth.

Fireball lights up Ohio sky, loud boom leaves people startled

The video was first reported by the NY Post. The video came from a home in Pickerington, where resident Kristofer Maki shared what he saw and heard. “Caught a meteor last night on the Ubiquiti cam,” he wrote on Facebook. He added, “We were laying in bed winding down for the evening and heard a loud sonic boom.”

“If you were in Pickerington and heard it around 10:35, this was it. Turn up the volume on this one.” The clip shows a bright flash in the distance. The light quickly disappears behind houses in the neighbourhood, and seconds later, a deep rumbling sound can be heard.

Maki’s video wasn’t the only one. Several people around the Columbus area shared similar sightings online, according to local reports. This isn’t the first time Ohio skies have grabbed attention this year. Just last month, a fireball was seen over Highland and Clinton counties. Earlier in January, another one was spotted streaking across the state.

In yet another video, a dashcam footage showed a bright fireball streaking across the sky during the morning commute.

Meteor sightings across the US: NASA confirms boom triggered by asteroid

In a separate incident, people across a wide area, including parts of Pennsylvania, reported hearing a loud explosion during the day. This time, NASA confirmed what caused it.

The agency said the sound came from an asteroid about 6 feet wide, weighing nearly 7 tons. As it broke apart in the atmosphere, it released energy equal to about 250 tons of TNT.

That energy created a pressure wave strong enough to reach the ground, which is why so many people heard booming, explosive sounds. One person wrote online, “Heard the loudest boom just now in northeast OH. People heard it as far as Avon. What was that? Meteor?”

Eyewitness reports came in from at least ten states, along with Washington DC and even Ontario in Canada. People described seeing a bright streak of light cutting across the sky in broad daylight.

Some said the sound was so strong it shook their homes. “Heard it on the east side of Cleveland. Sounded like a bomb or dynamite going off. My house shook,” another person wrote.

Experts say it likely burned up mid-air

According to the National Weather Service, there were no reports of anything actually hitting the ground. Meteorologist Brian Mitchell said, “We have not heard of anything actually hitting the ground.”

Another expert explained that the object likely burned up in the atmosphere before reaching Earth. The loud noise people heard was most likely a sonic boom, the same kind of sound created when something moves faster than the speed of sound.

Images from a lightning-detecting satellite system also picked up the event, showing a flash over northeast Ohio.

Scientists say meteors can show up in these systems because the bright bursts of light they create in the sky can look similar to lightning.

Disclaimer: The content in this article is based on a viral social media discussion and is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only.