The earliest information said it was most likely a meteorite. However, the National Weather Service in Houston said it may have been debris from the Russian Sputnik Kosmos 2251 that had returned to the atmosphere.
In 2009, the Kosmos 2251 satellite went out of action when it collided with Iridium 33, the United States' communications satellite, in 2009 as it orbited the Earth over Siberia.
Meanwhile, Bill Cook, who heads NASA's Meteorite Environment office, said the object was actually a meteor, and was likely the size of a basketball. However, researchers continue to search for the source of the outbreak, and reports of sightings continue to come from across the state of Texas.
One woman, McKinney, reported seeing what looked like a cometary strip in the sky and bright flares around 6:42 a.m. near Stonebridge Shopping. Justin Wagoner, who lives in White Rock Lake, said he saw green footprints and heard strong "sonic booms" around the same time. Others reported seeing white and orange flashes of light. The spectacle lasted only a few seconds before disappearing into the sky. According to Dr. James Roberts, an astronomer at the University of North Texas, the mysterious object in the sky is likely a burnt-out meteor.
The Houston-based meteorologist said it may have been a fragment of the Geminid stream due to arrive later in December. However, Mike Hankey, operations manager of the American Society for the Study of Meteors, said that he believed the fireball caused the glow in the sky, the meteors look brighter than Venus, and the phenomenon cannot be part of the Geminids.
“For those unfamiliar with meteors and fireballs, fireball is a bigger meteorite than usual,” Mike Hankey gave a short lecture on the American Society's website. “Most meteors are the size of small pebbles. A meteor the size of a softball can produce, for a brief moment, light equivalent to that of a full moon.
The reason for this is the extremely high speed with which these objects hit the atmosphere. “While fireballs are actually quite common around the world, they happen every night. But if you managed to see him once in your life, then consider yourself very lucky."
"A loud explosion can be heard when a large fireball breaks up," says Mike Hankey.
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