Fireball seen across Southeast
Over 100 reports of a possible fireball were received by the American Meteor Society, with sightings across metro Atlanta and other regions, including South Carolina.
ATLANTA – A midday flash of light seen across a large swath of the Southeast on Thursday has been confirmed as a likely meteor, with officials in Henry County investigating whether debris from the event damaged a home in McDonough.
Ball of fire, meteor or earthquake?
What we know:
According to the National Weather Service, radar could not fully track the object due to its altitude and speed, and satellite imagery—which updates only every few minutes—missed it. However, the Global Lightning Mapper (GLM), an instrument designed to detect lightning flashes in the upper atmosphere, registered the event. The object’s entry into the atmosphere created a flash similar to lightning, allowing the GLM to capture data showing the event over eastern metro Atlanta.
Meteorologists with the National Weather Service report a radar imagery revealed distinct signatures typically associated with falling meteorites.
Lightning sensors on multiple NOAA GOES weather satellites pick up a fireball over Georgia on June 26, 2025.
Witnesses from as far south as Macon and as far north as Upstate South Carolina reported a bright flash in the sky. Moments later, many said they felt what appeared to be an earthquake — though officials have since attributed the shaking to a sonic boom.
The U.S. Geological Survey did not show any earthquake activity in Georgia at the time of the boom.
One of the most dramatic reports came from Henry County, where Emergency Management officials said a resident called to report that a rock had fallen through their ceiling around the same time the flash was observed. According to the agency, the object penetrated the roof and ceiling before cracking the laminate flooring and coming to rest inside the home.
‘Fireball’ seen falling from sky
Video shows a “fireball” falling from the sky on Thursday, June 26, 2025. The phenomena could be seen from multiple states across the Southeast, including Georgia. Officials in South Carolina were investigating as they believed whatever the object to be had fallen there, according to WHNS. The USGS had ruled out an earthquake. Video credit; Kathryn Rose Farr.
Atlanta meteor?
Local perspective:
The reports of a loud boom, shaking and rumbling from residents across the metro Atlanta area started at around 12:20 p.m. Multiple radar images indicate the debris fell in the area of Blacksville, Georgia, just south of the Home Depot distribution center off Highway 20 in Henry County.
This radar image shows the debris field associated with possible space debris landing southeast of Atlanta in Blacksville, Georgia on June 26, 2025.
No injuries have been reported.
Big picture view:
An official in Rockdale County shared a video of what appeared to be a streak of fire falling from the sky. Officials believe it may be a meteor or other space debris.
FOX 5 viewer Garrett Thrift took a photo of the fireball seen in the sky across metro Atlanta. (Credit: Garrett Thrift)
FOX Weather reports that the American Meteor Society website received over 100 reports of a possible fireball.
The National Weather Service in Charleston said that its satellite-based lightning detection showed a streak in the sky over the NC/VA border, close to Gasburg, Virginia.
WHNS reports that officials in Anderson County, South Carolina are looking for a possible crash site in the Upstate region of the state.
The South Carolina news source said reports have been made in Spartanburg County, Greenville County and Anderson County.
Georgia meteor
What they’re saying:
The Henry County Emergency Management Agency director confirmed that an object caused damage to a home in the McDonough area, not far from Blacksville.
“Although I can’t confirm this is from a meteor, there is unusual damage to the home,” the director said. “A piece of debris entered through the shingles and made it through the ceiling and hit the floor.”
The EMA is continuing to assess the situation.
“It was crazy. I keep replaying it in my head,” said Michelle Hartley, who saw the meteor in Calhoun. “I just happened to look up and I seen it coming down out of the sky like it was white, and the ball of it was like on fire. Like the part that is entering the atmosphere.”
Doorbell camera footage captured the blazing streak visible even in the early afternoon sun.
Meteorite in Georgia
Dig deeper:
Astrophysicist Alissa Bans, director of Emory University’s observatory, said the phenomenon was most likely a bolide—a term used for an exceptionally bright meteor that may explode upon entering Earth’s atmosphere.
“This likely had its origin, kind of, as an asteroid or a part of an asteroid,” Bans said. “That is pretty unusual… there are usually just a handful a year that reach that fireball class.”
“Luckily, most of the time, things burn up pretty easily in Earth’s atmosphere,” Bans noted.
What was the fire ball in the sky?
What we don’t know:
The investigation into the McDonough incident remains ongoing.
What you can do:
The exact nature and origin of the object remain under investigation.
The Source: Information for this story came from officials with the National Weather Service and a report from WHNS. The Henry County Emergency Management Agency, the National Weather Serivce, NOAA, NASA, and the American Meteor Society provided the details for this article. This story has been updated since it was originally published. This story is being reported out of Atlanta.
