In the video, the object shoots through the sky in Utah and is followed by a loud bang. The images have since been shared online, including by Utah State Governor Spencer Cox.
He confirmed that the loud, reverberating boom was not seismic, earthquake-related, and unrelated to our military instillations.
He said the “probably best theory” is that the sound was in fact a high-altitude meteor that “exploded” as it hit the atmosphere, as one Twitter user described it.
The National Weather Service for Salt Lake City in Utah has also released satellite images showing what is likely the meteor trail or flash.
“Strengthening the Meteor Theory for This Morning” tree in Utahthe two reddish pixels shown over Davis and Morgan counties are from the GOES-17 Lightning Mapper, but not associated with evidence of thunderstorms in satellite or radar,” it said.
Meanwhile, a number of security cameras from houses in the area captured the loud noise and the shocked reactions of people.
Patrick Wiggins, NASA’s solar system ambassador to Utah, told local news channel KSL that it’s not rare to see a meteor, but it’s rare to switch one.
Mr. Wiggins said that means it was close and there are probably fragments somewhere in Utah.