Residents across Georgia and the Carolinas were left stunned Thursday afternoon after witnessing a fiery streak blazing across the sky, followed by a loud boom and rumbling that felt like a minor earthquake. The spectacle—now under investigation by multiple agencies—may have been a meteor, though officials haven’t yet confirmed the object’s identity.
The National Weather Service (NWS) and the American Meteor Society received over 100 reports from witnesses who saw the brilliant flash, which lit up skies from Macon, Georgia, to upstate South Carolina. Many described it as a “fireball” with a trailing glow, followed moments later by a powerful sonic boom.
Radar imagery revealed atmospheric signatures consistent with a falling meteorite, and lightning detection satellites recorded a flash over eastern metro Atlanta—evidence typically associated with space rocks entering Earth’s atmosphere.
Perhaps the most shocking moment came in McDonough, Georgia, where an unidentified object crashed through a home’s roof, piercing the ceiling and damaging the floor. While officials haven’t confirmed it was a meteorite, the timing lines up with the flash. “There is unusual damage to the home,” said the Henry County Emergency Management Agency director. “We’re continuing to assess the situation.”
The fireball was visible in video footage shared from Rockdale County, and multiple counties in South Carolina are now scouring wooded areas for a potential crash site.
The U.S. Geological Survey ruled out earthquake activity, reinforcing the idea that the boom felt across the region was likely from the object’s supersonic entry.
While the true origin of the fireball remains unknown, the incident has sparked curiosity—and a fair bit of cosmic wonder—across the Southeast. For now, all eyes are on the skies… and rooftops.