HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -
Following several reports from viewers that said they had seen a
"bright fireball" streak across the morning sky, Hawaii News Now has learned
what the unusual sight may have been.
That "bright fireball" could have been the International Space Station, according to
astronomer Ry Gal at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
According to Gal, the Space Station orbited near Earth much closer
than it typical does, and therefore appeared brighter in the sky than the
planet Venus, which is typically visible with the naked eye.
The Space Station was seen shooting across the sky for about two
to three minutes shortly after 5:30 a.m. Monday. The Space Station traveled
from the northeast to the southwest about 35 degrees from the horizon.
Soon afterward, Hawaii News Now's facebook page received comments
from residents wondering what they had seen, most of which referred to the
sight as a "big white fireball."
Next
week, it will be a different story. On Feb. 15, an asteroid will come
very close to Earth, but there is no chance that the 150-foot wide space
rock will come into contact with the planet, NASA says. Experts say the
flyby will be the closest ever known in advance for a rock of such magnitude.
Copyright 2013 Hawaii News Now.
All rights reserved.
