Who Saw the Fireball Meteor Streaking Across the Kentucky Sky?

I'm a big fan of the stars--the ACTUAL stars, not Hollywood types. Well, I like some of them, too, but we're here for astronomy, so let's get to it.

On clear nights, I like to whip out the Google Sky Maps app on my phone and do a little stargazing. You just point it toward the sky and it tell you the name of every constellation that's in the frame. There are several such apps that do that and they are invaluable on a clear night.

One thing I've never seen on the app--although I've seen it with the naked eye--is a shooting star. I don't know how the app would show that. I'm also curious about how it would display this:

Now, THAT is something I've never seen with my own two eyes. (Never in the right place at the right time.)

But there are PLENTY of folks who saw this fireball meteor Thursday night. I mean, Kentucky was HARDLY the only state under which this extraordinary event took place. Folks in Indiana, Tennessee, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Missouri, Georgia, and Illinois also reported meteor sightings.

William J. Cooke of the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office shared this information about the event; thanks to Corey Lynn Houk for posting it:

I could kick myself for not seeing it, but then again, how do you PLAN to see an unpredictable event. Anyway, fall is coming and the air will be drier. That means the air will also be clearer.

Never miss a chance to look up on a clear night.