Bright fireball explodes over China

Every night, the China Meteor Monitoring Organization (CMMO) launches an automatic camera in the eastern province of Shandong, which monitors the skies over the Yellow Sea coast. On Sunday, August 16, it recorded the brightest fireball in several years. The space rock exploded in the atmosphere over the city of Linyi, making the night sky light blue for a moment.

"The outbreak, which peaked at 10:59 p.m. local time, was visible in Shandong and Jiangsu provinces. The meteor lit up everything around, the ground was shaking from the rumbling," reports CMMO employee Chou Kun.

He estimates the astronomical magnitude of the flash at 20. It is more than 900 times brighter than the full moon, although not as bright as the Sun.

More information about this event, including a possible meteorite debris fall zone, will be available when the CMMO team analyzes more eyewitness reports.