ATLANTA — Thousands of people across metro Atlanta and the Southeast reported seeing what looked like a fireball falling through the sky on Thursday afternoon.
It’s been reported that what was spotted in the sky was likely a meteor. But you may have heard other terms to describe it.
Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Ashley Kramlich is breaking down the vocabulary behind what you saw.
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A meteoroid is a piece of rock that’s broken off an asteroid or comet in outer space.
But once it enters the Earth’s atmosphere, it’s called a meteor. That’s what you saw moving through the sky on Thursday afternoon.
It’s extremely rare, but if that meteor doesn’t fully burn up in the atmosphere and makes contact with the ground, it’s called a meteorite.
Officials are investigating reports that a meteorite hit a Henry County home and crashed through the roof.
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