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Experts: It’s the season for fireballs

Posted at 7:21 PM, Apr 24, 2013
and last updated 2013-04-24 19:21:01-04

Night briefly turned to day over Argentina Sunday as a bright fireball fell through the sky, some say at about 80,000 mph.

It didn't last long, but cameras were able to capture this rare occurrence just days before the peak of fireball season.

NASA experts say spring is the time of the year when the number of bright meteor sightings increases by at least 30 percent.

In fact, fireball season reaches its peak through tomorrow, a time scientists say is the best to see fireballs streak through the sky.

Experts at NASA Langley say fireballs are very hard to predict.

But on any given night, there are about 10 sporadic meteors that fall through the sky, most of them go unnoticed.

While the event in Argentina occurred the same time, the Lyrid meteor shower was at its peak over the weekend. Scientists say at this point, it is still unclear whether both events are related.

The last time a meteor made this much news was back in February when a much larger meteor exploded over Russia, blowing out windows and injuring more than 1,000 people.