A bright object streaked through the sky over parts of the southeastern United States on Thursday, June 26, as onlookers watched, wondering what it might be. As investigations continue, astronomers believe the fireball was likely a meteor or space junk, with most reported sightings in Georgia and South Carolina around 12:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Peachtree City, Georgia.
Rock crashes through ceiling
At the same time as the sightings, a person in Henry County, Georgia, reported a rock had crashed through their roof, coinciding with when they heard a sonic boom from the bright object. The weather service “presumed” the debris came from the space object but did not disclose whether this assumption was confirmed or not. The rock left a hole in the house’s ceiling about the size of a golf ball and cracked the laminate floor, the NWS said on social media.
Officials are now investigating the object that crashed to Earth around 30 miles southeast of Atlanta.
The fireball was caught on dashboard and doorbell cameras across a number of southern states. There were at least 215 reports of the object to the American Meteor Society made in Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee and even Arizona.
Ongoing concerns over space debris
As Straight Arrow News has previously reported, space debris often enters the planet’s atmosphere, but mass sightings of the objects are rare, especially in the middle of the day.
Scientists said illuminated fireballs are created by friction, as space debris hits the atmosphere and significantly slows its speed. According to NASA, most objects break apart into very tiny pieces before hitting the ground. However, reports of space debris or junk slamming into the Earth are not unheard of.
Notable incidents
In late December 2024, a large metallic object fell from the sky into a village in Kenya. According to the Kenyan Space Agency (KSA), the debris was from the separation ring of a rocket, which is a piece of equipment designed to burn up on reentry or land in unpopulated areas.
The incident follows concerns raised about man-made space debris and the risks it poses to people on the Earth’s surface. In 2024, there were multiple reports of metal parts from SpaceX’s Dragon Crew spacecraft landing on people’s property. These places include a Saskatchewan farm and a North Carolina hiking trail, as well as one part found after hitting a home in Florida.
While the space object spotted in the southeast during the week of June 22 is still under investigation, some scientists have expressed concerns that space debris may pose more of a risk to humans than previously thought. Some have advocated for more stringent measures to eliminate or mitigate the threat.
