Midnight meteor streaks across Western skies

 

SALT LAKE CITY -- Scientists are buzzing about a streaking meteor that flashed across parts of the Western sky.

Seth Jarvis, director of the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City, says the meteor that flew by just after midnight Tuesday was probably about the size of an oven and traveling at about 80,000 mph.

He says the fireball was likely visible from several Intermountain West states.

The fireball roughly coincided with the annual Leonid meteor shower.

Surveillance cameras, including some operated by the University of Utah, captured the streaking meteor about 100 miles above the Earth.

Jarvis says it likely broke up before reaching the ground.

Scientists will use video footage to get a better idea about the fireball's trajectory, speed and location.