A bright meteor streaked across the night sky late Saturday, startling residents with reports of sightings from Alabama to Georgia and North Florida.

>> Read more trending news

A driver in Gainesville, Florida, even captured the fireball falling to Earth on his dashcam, posting the video to social media.

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee confirmed the event, tweeting: “Did you see it? A meteor was caught on GOES Lightning Mapper (GLM) around … 11:52 PM ET!”

A weather satellite, the GOES-16, used to track lightning during stormy weather, was able to pinpoint the meteor’s location. Meteors are bright like lightning, so the satellite was able to pick it up.

About the Author

Featured

A new poll from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution explored what Georgians thought about the first 100 days in office of President Donald Trump’s second term. Photo illustration by Philip Robibero/AJC

Credit: Philip Robibero/AJC