Glenn Sparks was driving east on Interstate 40 in the Greeneville area when he spotted a meteor that amazed him. The shooting star was also visible in southern Virginia.
Early Friday morning, a meteor appeared unexpectedly in the sky and passed over two neighboring states with a bright glow before dissipating.
Glenn Sparks, a driver traveling east on Interstate 40 in Tennessee, documented the moment on Facebook, writing that he had just seen the “most incredible meteor of my life” around 1 a.m. Friday.
According to Sparks, when he spotted the shooting star, it appeared to be roughly over Greeneville, about 65 miles east of Knoxville.
“It lit up the sky for over 10 seconds and there were several explosions,” Sparks wrote. “Just awesome!”
Watch: Meteor briefly lights up Tennessee skyline
Watch: Meteor flies across Tennessee skies
A meteor was spotted flashing in the sky several times in Tennessee and Virginia.
Residents in southwest Virginia were also able to observe the fleeting fireball and capture the meteor, also known as a shooting star, on video as it sped past within seconds.
In the video clip he recorded, Sparks’ awe was audible. He said, “What?” and burst into laughter.
While Sparks was impressed, meteoroids enter the Earth’s atmosphere regularly. NASA estimates that “several meteors per hour” are typically seen on any given night.
“Scientists estimate that about 48.5 tons of meteorite material falls to Earth every day,” NASA said. “Almost all of the material vaporizes in the Earth’s atmosphere, leaving behind a bright trail affectionately called ‘shooting stars.'”
