March is usually a slow month for meteor showers.
But the American Meteor Society has reported six major fireball events since March 1. Nasa also predicts an increase in fireballs by as much as 30 percent in spring. So what’s going on?
The upstick in fireballs is still unknown, but it may be linked to the spring equinox (March 20, 2016), during which more space rocks enter the Earth’s atmosphere.
2016 has seen an increase in the number of reported fireballs with 910 meteors against 839 reports received during the same time last year.
The witness location and estimated trajectory of these events can be seen here:
This bright green fireball was caught over Missouri on March 4, 2016 at 10:53pm:
While we are still waiting for an explanation, keep your eyes and cameras direction sky as the next major meteor shower, the Lyrids, will peak in April 2016.
