Observatory shares video of meteor seen over Thanksgiving weekend

While many were finishing up Thanksgiving meals and preparing for an incoming snowstorm, Cincinnati experienced an astronomical event. Over just two days, the citys oldest public observatory released a video of a bright meteor streaking through the night sky and confirmed its first-ever micrometeorite discovery.

A Fireball Sighting

On the night of November 28, astronomer Wes Ryle of the Cincinnati Observatory spotted a blazing streak across the sky while driving home around 11 p.m. He immediately recognized it as a meteor. The object fragmented as it traveled through the atmosphere, though its unclear if any pieces reached the ground. Ryle reached out to former students, one of whom had captured the event on video.

The fireball was widely observed beyond Cincinnati, with reports submitted from Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia to the American Meteor Society. According to fifty submitted reports, the meteor passed over western Kentucky near Owensboro.

Observatorys First Confirmed Micrometeorite

On November 30, the Cincinnati Observatory announced on Facebook that they had verified their first micrometeorite. Earlier in September, Dusty Segretto visited the observatory to demonstrate how to locate and collect these tiny space rocks. Segretto, an avid micrometeorite collector who shares his work on Instagram as supertinyuniverse, helped the team identify multiple specimens, each measuring just a fraction of a millimeter.

Ryle explained that micrometeorites are constantly falling on Earth but are challenging to spot in wooded or urban areas. However, debris accumulated on a roof or in gutters increases the chances of discovery. The observatorys roof had not been cleaned for years, and when Ryle collected and handed the debris to Segretto, several micrometeorites were identified and photographed under a microscope.

Meteor, Meteoroid, Meteorite: Understanding the Terms

Ryle clarified the distinctions between meteoroids, meteors, and meteorites. A meteoroid refers to space debris that has not yet entered Earths atmosphere. When this debris travels through the atmosphere, it is called a meteor, producing a glowing streak due to friction with the air. If the object reaches the ground, it is then classified as a meteorite.

What we observed can be classified as a meteor and was bright enough to be called a fireball, Ryle said. He noted that while meteors occur frequently, they are often difficult to see unless the sky is dark, the moon is absent, and city lights are far away. In such conditions, observers might see three to four meteors per hour.

Upcoming Meteor Shower

Ryle highlighted an upcoming meteor event, the Geminid meteor shower, which will be active from December 1 to December 21, 2025, peaking the night of December 13 into the morning of December 14. In optimal dark-sky conditions, observers could witness up to 100 meteors per hour. Ryle cautioned against using binoculars or telescopes, as they can limit the wide view needed to catch the meteors.

Author: Jackson Miller