Video shows something strange in Northern Kentucky sky
Facebook users shared images of a strange sight visible in the sky in Northern Kentucky Monday evening.
Provided by Kayleigh White
Did you see what looked like a fireball in Northern Kentucky the evening of Monday, Oct. 20?
Members of a Boone County Facebook group shared images of what appeared to be a streak of fire falling in the sky around 7 p.m. last night. But they weren’t quite sure what it was − and commenters couldn’t agree.
The Enquirer asked Cincinnati Observatory astronomer Wes Ryle for some answers.
Could you see Comet SWAN or Comet Lemmon in Boone County Monday?
Some Facebook commenters suggested the object was a comet. A comet is an object made of ice and dust that orbits the sun. When it gets close to the sun, its content starts to vaporize and the comet appears fuzzy and/or has a tail, according to NASA. Two comets, Comet SWAN and Comet Lemmon, have reached their closest points to Earth in their orbits and are visible this week. However, Ryle said the object in the video is way too bright to be a comet.
Could you see the Orionid meteor shower in Boone County Monday?
Other commenters said the object was a meteor, which is a small piece of an asteroid or comet that has entered the Earth’s atmosphere. It enters at a high speed and produces a streak of light called a shooting star, according to NASA. The commenters’ guesses could make sense given the Orionid meteor shower peaks Monday and Tuesday night. Ryle, however, said the object is too slow and long-lived to be a meteor.
If it wasn’t a comet or meteor, then what was it?
“It’s hard to say for certain what it is,” Ryle wrote in an email. He said the object may have just been a distant airplane contrail, or a condensed water vapor trail created by a jet engine, catching the light from the sun after it set. Contrails are most commonly seen behind planes at cruising altitude and can last seconds or hours, according to Space.com.