Fireball Spotted Over Connecticut: Did You See It?

A fireball was spotted over Connecticut on Wednesday evening, according to more than 30 witnesses, as reported by the American Meteor Society.

The fireball, a term used by astronomers to describe a particularly bright meteor, was observed around 7:15 p.m.

Towns that reported sightings include: Lebanon, Old Saybrook, Suffield, Cheshire, West Hartford, Derby, Burlington, Southington, Watertown, Avon, Branford, East Hartford, Cromwell, Wolcott, Windsor, Newington, North Branford, Griswold, Danbury, New Haven, New Britian, Wethersfield, Barkhamsted, New London, Orange, and Canton.

Did you see the fireball? Let us know in the comments.

Skywatching Dates To Know For Meteor Showers, Supermoons In CT

October is an excellent time for Connecticut stargazers to look up at the heavens for a chance to see meteors, a spectacular harvest supermoon and perhaps even the northern lights.

The opening act on Oct. 6 is the always gorgeous full harvest moon, which already appears larger than normal as it creeps over the horizon soon after sunset, bathing the early evening landscape in golden moonlight. This year, the harvest moon is the first of three consecutive supermoons to close out the year.

Also, three meteor showers — the Draconids, Orionids and Taurids — all peak in October.

A Big, Orange Supermoon

October full moons often appear orange because they rise just after sunset. Because of that, these full moons are sometimes associated with the “great pumpkin.”

Similar to the sun’s light as it sets, the moon’s light travels through a thicker part of Earth’s atmosphere when it is low on the horizon. This causes the shorter-wavelength blue light to scatter away, allowing the longer-wavelength orange and red light to shine through.

Supermoons occur when the moon is at perigee, the point in its orbit when it is closest to Earth, making it appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the faintest full moon of the year. Although not an official astronomical term, any full moon that is at least 90 percent of perigee may be called a supermoon.

The average moon is about 238,900 miles from Earth, according to EarthSky. Compare that to the three supermoons this year:

• Oct. 6 full harvest moon: 224,599 miles
• Nov. 5 full beaver moon: 221,817 miles
• Dec. 4 full cold moon: 221,965 miles

Orionids Top Early Fall Meteor Showers

Of the three shooting star shows peaking in October, the best bet is the Orionid meteor shower. Going on now, the Orionids peak around Oct. 21-22 and run through Nov. 22.

Regarded as one of the most stunningly beautiful shooting star shows of the year, the Orionids produce about 23 meteors an hour.

The meteors are both bright and fast, entering Earth’s atmosphere at about 148,000 miles per hour. Meteors that fast can leave glowing trains — that is, incandescent bits of debris that can last several seconds or even minutes — and also fireballs.

The nearly full supermoon will interfere with the peaks of both the Draconoids and the Taurids, which occur within days of each other.

Don’t rule out a surprise from the short-lived Draconids, which run Oct. 6-10 and peak Oct. 8. Sometimes called the Giacobinid meteor shower in honor of the astronomer who discovered the comet that produces it, this sleepy shower offers only a smattering of meteors.

However, Draconid meteor storms can bring hundreds of shooting stars a minute in some years. Notable reports were filed in Europe in 1933, when 500 shooting stars a minute were observed, and in the United States in 1946, when 50 to 100 meteors an hour were reported.

It’s possible 2025 could be one of those years. Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner was at perihelion — that is, the point in its orbit that it’s closest to the sun — in March 2025, and that could increase the chances of a meteor storm, according to EarthSky.

This shower differs from others in that it peaks in the early evening.

The first peak of the Taurid meteor shower on Oct. 9-10 will be dimmed by light from the supermoon a few days earlier, and so will the second peak on Nov. 8-9. But fireballs could save the day for stargazers.

The Taurids are unique because they consist of two separate streams — the first created by grain dust left behind by Asteroid 2004/TG10, and the second by dust grains left behind by Comet 2P/Encke.

Together, they run from about Sept. 28-Dec 2. Both streams are rich in fireballs, and are often responsible for increased numbers of fireball reports, according to the American Meteor Society. The South Taurids run from Sept.10 to Nov. 30, and the North Taurids from Oct. 13-Dec. 1.

You May See The Aurora

There’s no guarantee, of course, but the chances of seeing stunning northern lights displays increase after the fall equinox, according to NASA. Both the spring and fall equinoxes are good aurora seasons, but autumn produces a surplus of geomagnetic storms — almost twice the annual average.

This year, the changes are even greater. The sun is at its solar maximum peak in the 11-year Solar Cycle 25, meaning the chances of seeing northern lights displays are heightened.

The northern lights, as the aurora is called in the Northern Hemisphere, are triggered by powerful solar flares and coronal mass ejections that increase in frequency during the solar maximum phase of the natural cycle the sun goes through in the transition between low and high magnetic activity.

Predicting when “Lady Aurora” might dance is tricky, but experts say conditions remain ideal for auroral activity.

Solar Cycle 25 is the most active on record, and space weather forecasters aren’t quite sure why.

“It’s one of the many mysteries to unravel,” space weather forecaster Shawn Dahl explained in a briefing with reporters last fall. He and others expect more northern lights displays outside the Arctic range in 2025, and perhaps into 2026.

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