To quote:
FIREBALL MOVIE: It happens more often than you might think. Every few days or so, somewhere on Earth, a small asteroid will hit the atmosphere producing a fantastic fireball. Astronomers call them "bolides." They cast shadows, let loose a sonic boom, and explode in mid-air.
On May 4, 2006, astronomer Jim Gamble caught one flying over El Paso, Texas:
Remarkably, most bolides are never noticed by anyone. Some streak over uninhabited oceans and deserts. Others appear during broad daylight when the sun outshines them, or in the deep of night when people are asleep and not looking up.
The May 4th bolide was different. It appeared at 9:45 p.m. local time, well before bedtime, over a densely populated area. Thousands of people saw it. Indeed, how could they miss it? It was brighter than the Moon, which also appears in the video--the stationary light at bottom-right.
Bolides: another good reason to keep looking up.
Space/Science » in reply to NASA is on the lookout for ways to fend off Earth-threatening Near-Earth Objects.
Fireball filmed over El Paso, Texas