Watch: Deer scatter as fireball 16 times brighter than Venus streaks across U.S. sky

A bright fireball lit up the skies over the central United States on the night of June 14, 2026, drawing hundreds of eyewitness reports from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. According to an analysis of eyewitness reports and camera data, the meteor first became visible about 60 miles above Tupelo, Mississippi, traveling northwest at an incredible 56,000 mph. It blazed through roughly 300 miles of atmosphere before completely disintegrating 34 miles above Missouri's Mark Twain National Forest. At its peak brightness, the fireball was estimated to be 16 times brighter than Venus, making it one of the most spectacular meteor events reported in the region. Scientists believe the object was a small asteroid fragment measuring about 3 inches across and weighing roughly one pound. Despite its brightness, it was too small and too fast to survive its journey through Earth's atmosphere, leaving no meteorites behind. The event was recorded by three NASA meteor cameras, as well as numerous security cameras, dashcams, smartphones, and eyewitnesses across the region. This video was recorded by Melinda and Stephen Grider on the night of June 14, 2026. © Copyright Notice: The video footage remains the property of Melinda and Stephen Grider (https://www.youtube.com/@MelindaGrider). Any reuse, redistribution, reproduction, broadcast, or publication of this clip requires their prior permission. Note: No edits have been made to the original footage by the Starlust team.