Photographer Unknowingly Captures A Rare Event Astronomers Wait Decades To See

October 20, 2014

An amateur photographer unknowingly captured a bolide fireball, a rare event that astronomers wait decades to see, let alone photograph.

A fireball is another term for a very bright meteor, which is about the same brightness as the planet Venus in the morning or evening sky. A bolide is a special type of fireball which explodes in a bright terminal flash at its end, often with visible fragmentation.

Ben Lewis was camping in Ashton-Wildwood County Park, Iowa, and before bed, aimed his camera at a clearing in the trees. He let it record all night and had no idea what he had captured until he shared the photos on reddit.

Here is the timelapse video:

This bolide fireball occurred on October 16th, 2014 between 4:30am and 4:50am.

Meteors are fairly common, but ones large enough to leave a trail of vaporized iron visible in the atmosphere are not. Capturing a timelapse is about the equivalence of spotting Bigfoot.


Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz

feel good videoCouple Rescues Prairie Dog From Their Dog's Mouth, Then Decides To Adopt It

feel good storiesThese Are The Movie Scenes People Say Are Absolutely Flawless

feel good storiesJudge Waives Parking Fines So Dad Can Keep Supporting Son’s Space Dreams

feel good storiesHungry Elephant Casually Walks Into Grocery Store For Snacks In Thailand

feel good storiesWild Orcas Keep Giving Humans Gifts, Leaving Experts Puzzled

feel good storiesMy Girlfriend Gifted Me My Father’s Handwriting To Keep Forever

feel good videoThe Funniest Dog Reactions To Hearing 'Walk' — You’ll Be Laughing Out Loud

feel good videoHero Dog Named RAMBO Scares Off Masked Robbers To Save Woman

feel good videoUPS Driver Joins Teenagers On Graduation Slip ’N Slide

feel good video'Two Pure Souls': Dog Warms Stranger's Heart At Lacrosse Game

feel good video'Am I Allowed To Be This Happy?' The Moment A Nervous Foster Dog Finally Lies In A Dog Bed

Chris Filippou 12:17 PM (3 minutes ago) to me