Huge Fireball Turns Midnight Sky Into Day Over China, Shakes Buildings

On Aug. 16th, the brightest fireball in years exploded in the atmosphere over the city of Linyi, turning the midnight sky blue: On August 16, a meteor fireball exploded over Shandong province in China. The flash was so bright that night turned into day for miles around, and the sound from the explosion was so strong that buildings shook.

“The meteor illuminated the whole earth and shook the landscape with a loud sound,” reports CMMO staff member Zhou Kun. “The flash of light, which peaked at 22:59 pm local time, was widely observed across the Shandong and Jiangsu provinces of China.“

Scientists have Kun estimates the astronomical magnitude of the flash to be -20, more than 900 times brighter than a full Moon (albeit not as bright as the sun). If so, that would make it a rare fireball indeed. According to a NASA computer model of Earth’s meteoroid environment, a fireball of that magnitude could be a decade class event. -Full Report