Expert: Sporadic Meteor Streaks Across S. Fla. Night Sky
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A strange sight in the skies over Broward County caused some concerned people to call the Broward Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Coast Guard Sunday night when streaking lights were seen over the ocean around Hallandale Beach and points northward.
A CBS4 employee was the first to call and report the possible meteor or fireball streaking across the sky. BSO and the Coast Guard then reported they too were receiving calls.
Some people thought it was a flare from a distressed boater but the Coast Guard said that wasn't the case.
Turns out, it was a sporadic fireball meteor, according to Mike Hankey with the American Meteor Society.
Hankey told CBS4 News that the AMS received 30 reports on their site from Florida. He said sporadic fireball meteors happen every day, a couple of times a day across the globe. They come from an asteroid belt. He believes the one seen over South Florida landed in the ocean and was likely between the size of a golf ball to a soccer ball.
If you saw the streaking light and took pictures or a video, please send it to pics@cbsmiami.com
