Flash in East Coast sky has social media buzzing

WASHINGTON (AP) - Social media sites are buzzing with reports of a flash of light streaking across the sky along the East Coast.

Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environmental Office said Friday night that the flash appears to be "a single meteor event." He said it "looks to be a fireball that moved roughly toward the southeast, going on visual reports."

He likened it to a boulder entering the Earth's atmosphere over the northeastern U.S.

He noted that the meteor was widely seen, with more than 350 reports on the website of the American Meteor Society alone.

Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, agreed that the sightings had all the hallmarks of a "fireball."

Pitts said this one caught more eyes because it happened on a Friday evening - and because Twitter has provided a way for people to share information on sightings.

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