Rare Daytime Fireball Spotted from Orbit as Residents Report Powerful Sonic Boom

The dramatic demise of the interplanetary visitor may have been witnessed by a satellite from geostationary orbit.

Mar. 17, 2026 at 4:33pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Residents in the midwestern U.S. reported hearing a powerful sonic boom that has since been attributed to a potential daytime meteor, whose dramatic demise may have been witnessed by a satellite from geostationary orbit over 22,000 miles (35,000 kilometers) above Earth.

Why it matters

Daytime fireballs are exceedingly rare, as it takes a significantly large chunk of space debris - sometimes larger than a beachball - to create a fireball meteor that can be seen in the daytime sky. The event highlights the ongoing monitoring of the skies for such rare celestial phenomena.

The details

The explosion heard over northern Ohio may have been a sonic boom, produced as the interplanetary visitor passed through Earth's atmosphere at supersonic speeds. Footage of the event was captured by residents, showing a bright fireball streaking through the daytime sky. The meteor's passage was also seemingly captured from orbit by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's GOES-19 satellite, which recorded a bright flash of light above northern Ohio in its Geostationary Lightning Mapper instrument.

  • The event occurred at 8:56 a.m. EDT (1256 GMT) on March 17, 2026.

The players

Cleveland National Weather Service

The official account for the Cleveland National Weather Service attributed the powerful sonic boom to a potential daytime meteor.

Dr. Jim Lloyd

A resident of northern Ohio who posted what appears to be footage of the event to X, clearly showing a bright fireball streaking through the daytime sky.

Jared Rackley

A Pittsburgh National Weather Service employee who captured another view of the fireball tearing through the morning sky.

Robert Lunsford

An expert from the American Meteor Society who commented on the rarity of daytime fireball events and the potential for fragments reaching the ground.

GOES-19 satellite

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's satellite that seemingly captured the meteor's passage from geostationary orbit.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“The latest GLM imagery (1301Z) does suggest that the boom was a result of a meteor.”

— Cleveland National Weather Service (X)

“Being much larger than your average meteor also means that it has a better chance of producing fragments on the ground.”

— Robert Lunsford, American Meteor Society (Space.com)

What’s next

Experts will continue to analyze the data and footage from the event to determine the exact size and trajectory of the meteor, as well as the potential for any fragments reaching the ground.

The takeaway

Daytime fireball events are extremely rare, but this incident highlights the ongoing monitoring of the skies and the ability of both ground-based and orbital observations to capture these dramatic celestial phenomena.