Dozens report seeing a fireball flying over western NC Thursday night

The American Meteor Society says it received about 50 reports of a fireball flying across the Southeast late Thursday, including sightings in North and South Carolina.

Reports started coming in just before 10 p.m., the AMS said on its web site.

Because there was nothing other than the fireball reported in the area at the time of the boom, speculation is that the boom was likely a meteor breaking up in the atmosphere, reports TV station WLOS.

Calls came in from multiple towns around Charlotte, including Newton, Salisbury and Morganton, says the AMS. Reports also came in about the same time from Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Kentucky and Tennessee.

The AMS is a non-profit scientific organization, supported by members and individuals with interest in meteoric astronomy. Click here to see the AMS report.

This story was originally published July 14, 2017 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Dozens report seeing a fireball flying over western NC Thursday night."