Fireball across Gulf of Mexico captured on camera

For just a brief moment, the dark Monday night sky lit up like someone flicked on the light-switch.

A fireball shot across the sky around 11:17 p.m. and could be seen as far north as Atlanta.

Officers with the Venice and North Port police departments caught the action on their dash cams. Two North Port officers were at different locations but saw the same phenomenon.

The local ABC 7 news station reported that the fireball happened around 11:17 p.m. Two bright bursts flared and residents who commented to the news station said they were walking their dog and thought it was headlights.

According to Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteroid Environment Office, the fireball was 46 miles above the Gulf of Mexico and just eight miles from Sarasota.

A fireball is just another name for a really bright meteor, according to the American Meteor Society, which recorded over 150 reports. NASA’s All-Sky Fireball Network, which has cameras set up around the country to track meteors, says fireballs are brighter than Venus.

This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 12:59 PM with the headline "Fireball across Gulf of Mexico captured on camera."