Fiery Streak Across The Sky Sparks Buzz In Southeast From Alabama To North Carolina
A "fiery ball" blazing through the midday sky sent residents across parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina scrambling for answers on Thursday. The mysterious flaming object turned out to be the result of a bolide, or large meteor, breaking up over the Southeast, creating a fireball.
The first sightings began around noon, with multiple people reporting what looked like falling debris, possibly a meteor or asteroid, hurtling across the sky.
Reports flooded in from cities including Birmingham, Atlanta, Greenville, and Knoxville, all describing a bright, fast-moving object trailing fire or smoke.
According to NASA, this was bolide #681 detected on Earth this year — so not quite as rare of an occurrence as you may think. NOAA's GOES East (GOES-19) satellite captured the event from space.
There was at least one report of possible damage in Henry County, Georgia.
Stay with us as we continue to follow this developing story.
Weather.com lead editor Jenn Jordan explores how weather and climate weave through our daily lives, shape our routines and leave lasting impacts on our communities.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Geek Tyrant
24 minutes ago
- Geek Tyrant
ALIEN: EARTH Aims to Be the Next Big Prestige TV Phenomenon and It May Have Cost Over $250 Million — GeekTyrant
FX is going all-in with its upcoming series Alien: Earth , the first Alien project to bring those nightmare-fueled Xenomorphs to planet Earth. The ambitious new show isn't just another genre experiment as FX and showrunner Noah Hawley are reportedly positioning it as the next prestige-level hit on the scale of Game of Thrones or The Last of Us . According to Variety, FX wants Alien: Earth to be a sweeping, character-driven drama that expands the beloved franchise into new storytelling territory. And they're paying big for it. The series is rumored to have a budget that could exceed Shōgun , FX's recent historical epic that cost around $250 million. That makes Alien: Earth one of the most expensive shows ever produced for the network. This massive investment makes sense considering what the show promises. Not only is this the first time the franchise takes place on Earth, but the series introduces bold new ideas while honoring classic Alien themes. At the center of the story is Sydney Chandler as Wendy, a human child whose consciousness is transferred into a synthetic body. And yes, the Xenomorph threat is coming to Earth — along with some new, terrifying creatures. The earthbound setting also lets the show dive deep into a theme that has always been at the heart of Alien : corporate greed. As Hawley puts it, the series explores what the planet actually looks like in this future. "All I tried to do is think one or two steps ahead. Is it realistic to think that billionaires are going to be trillionaires? The planet is heating up, and the seas are going to rise - it's going to be a hot, wet planet that we live on." Hawley also acknowledges the freedom that comes with building something new instead of being weighed down by decades of rigid lore: "There's surprisingly little mythology across seven movies," he explains. "It was great to not have to jerry-rig a mythology into what's existing, but to just start again." That flexibility is key for Hawley and FX. Gina Balian, FX Entertainment president, added: "Everything doesn't have to fit together the way you expect from Marvel. Fans don't expect that in this universe. It doesn't have the same pressure." This means Alien: Earth isn't trying to create a Marvel-style shared universe, something Hawley has been clear about from the start. Alien has always thrived as an anthology-like series, with each film offering a unique tone and setting. Personally, I'm thrilled that the series seems to be sidestepping some of the lore from Prometheus and Alien: Covenant . Those films redefined the Xenomorph as a product of engineered design rather than an unknowable terror, and that never sat right with a lot of us. A clean slate opens the door for the mystery and dread that made Alien iconic. Alien: Earth is set to premiere on August 12, and if Hawley delivers what he's promising, we might be looking at the next big genre-defining series.

Business Insider
25 minutes ago
- Business Insider
Senegal shoots for the moon with historic NASA agreement
Senegal has formally signed the US-led Artemis Accords, becoming the 56th member to the global framework outlining rules for peaceful space exploration. Senegal signed the US-led Artemis Accords on July 24, 2025, becoming the 56th member of this space exploration framework. The ceremony held at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., marked Senegal's commitment to science, technology, and space diplomacy. Key figures, including Senegal's ambassador and the Director-General of the Senegalese Space Agency, participated in the event. The signing ceremony took place on July 24, 2025, at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., marking a watershed moment for the West African country as it strengthens its commitment to science, technology, and space diplomacy. The signing event at the U.S's capital brought together important figures from Senegal and NASA, including Abdoul Wahab Haidara, Senegal's ambassador to the United States; Jonathan Pratt, Senior Bureau Official in the Department of State Bureau of African Affairs; Maram Kairé, Director-General of the Senegalese Space Agency (ASES); and Brian Hughes, NASA Chief of Staff. Following a meeting between President Faye and President Trump, Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy stated the signing of the Artemis Accords demonstrated the close ties between the two countries. President Trump met with Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and other African leaders in Washington two weeks prior to the signing ceremony of the Artemis Accords, which focused on the U.S.-Africa cooperation, as seen on SpaceAfrica. 'Senegal's adherence to the Artemis Accords reflects our commitment to a multilateral, responsible, and transparent approach to space,' Maram Kairé, Director-General of the Senegalese Space Agency (ASES). What the Artemis Accords means for Senegal This signature marks a meaningful step in our space diplomacy and in our ambition to contribute to the peaceful exploration of outer space,' she added. Senegal's signing represents a growing trend of African countries participating in space governance and asserting their presence in the next frontier of human development, outer space. Along with aligning with international standards for space activities, such as the utilization of space resources, deconfliction of operations, and the preservation of lunar heritage sites, this move also signifies Senegal's intention to build its own space capabilities. Remarkably, China's International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program has connections with Senegal as well. Senegal's decision to join both the ILRS and Artemis Accords shows diplomatic balance and a willingness to engage in many international frameworks, which is uncommon but becoming more common among new space operators. Senegal becomes the fourth African country to sign the Accords, after Nigeria, Rwanda, and Angola. This trend reflects Africa's rising engagement in determining global space policy, as well as the continent's growing desire to use space technology for development purposes ranging from climate monitoring and agriculture to connectivity and national security. The NASA Artemis Accords Given that several countries and private businesses are carrying out missions and activities near the Moon, the Artemis Accords offer a shared set of guidelines to improve the administration of space exploration and utilization for civil purposes. Basically, the accords are intended to foster cooperation and transparency among countries involved in lunar and deep space missions, particularly those aligned with the Artemis program's overarching goals of returning humans to the Moon and eventually reaching Mars. Signatory countries' adherence to the Outer Space Treaty, the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, and best practices and standards of responsible conduct for the exploration and use of civil space is strengthened by the Artemis Accords.


Newsweek
25 minutes ago
- Newsweek
'Disabling' Chronic Illness in Children Not Taken Seriously: Experts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A new study by Rutgers University has highlighted that a significant number of young children are experiencing ongoing symptoms after COVID-19 infection, signifying that greater research needs to be poured into evaluating the risk and treatment of long COVID in children. The study, released on July 23, coincides with Pediatric Long COVID Awareness Week, running from July 21 to 25, run by the advocacy group Long Covid Families. Over the course of the week, the group has been bringing together families, clinicians, researchers, and advocates to raise more awareness on the wide-reaching impact of long COVID in children. "This is a public health crisis for children. And it demands action," Long Covid Families said in its promotion of the condition's awareness week. "Because people operate under the false assumption that if you are young and healthy, like kids, COVID is an inconsequential nothingburger and we should not worry about it," Dr Ziyad Al-Aly, a professor of medicine at Washington University in St. Louis, told Newsweek. "Of course, this is not accurate at all," he added. Long COVID in children "always demanded more attention and seriousness." File photo: a young girl is unwell lying in bed with a teddy bear. File photo: a young girl is unwell lying in bed with a teddy The Study Found The study assessed 1,011 children, of whom 472 were aged 2 or younger, and 539 were aged between 3 and 15. It was found that 101, or 15 percent, of the 677 children who had previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection were identified as likely having long COVID. Long COVID is recognized as symptoms and health complications following COVID infection that persist for several weeks or months after the initial infection. It can result in a wide range of symptoms, affecting multiple systems in the body. Co-author of the study, Lawrence Kleinman, who is also chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Rutgers University, told Newsweek that he was not "surprised by these findings and would not be surprised to learn in the future that they understate the prevalence of long COVID." Previous studies estimated the prevalence of long COVID in children to be between 10 and 20 percent—suggesting it has become one of the most common chronic illnesses in children. Asthma, often described as the most common chronic illness in children, affects 16 percent. "Our methods were designed to be conservative, that is to maximize the likelihood that we distinguished long COVID from other causes," Kleinman said. "That means that our estimates are likely to be lower than the actual rate of long COVID." "At the beginning of the pandemic, no one knew that long COVID existed," he added. The first reports from China included" inaccurate reports" that children were spared COVID, he said, adding that the reports "grew into a myth which in turn created a mindset that COVID in kids didn't matter." As a result, there "was a misconception that children could not get COVID - but we know that's not true," Melissa Stockwell, another author of the study and chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Health at Columbia University, told Newsweek. "We are still very behind in raising awareness about long COVID in children," she added. Another reason why long COVID was not taken seriously in children is that "the symptoms associated with long COVID in children were not properly defined," Dr. Akiko Iwasaki, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity at the Yale School of Medicine, told Newsweek. She added that the study underscored "the need for the society to take long COVID in children seriously." However, Dr. Gerald Teague, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, told Newsweek that the study's investigators "did not confirm COVID infection with diagnostic tests nor did they measure antibodies to COVID in the participants," which would have provided a more accurate screening of the condition. He also noted that children not flagged as having COVID in the study may have had "asymptomatic infection." Although, despite some concerns, he said, with the study, that it was a "proof of concept that long COVID may be a bigger problem than we thought." The Impact Of Long COVID On Children "There is great concern for the younger generation, both about the long-term impacts of the pandemic itself, but also for those with Long Covid," Stockwell said. Long COVID in children can manifest in a number of different symptoms, ranging from "annoying to disabling," Kleinman said. The chronic illness can cause "pain, distress, or disability" in children, directly impacting the child's interaction with their family and friends, and may "hurt school performance, athletic performance, or even the capacity of children to conduct normally routine activities," he added. These factors are of great concern, Al-Aly said, as "we worry about kids' educational attainment, forming friendships, sports, and others, and all of these facets of normal development could be impaired in long COVID." "This may negatively affect kids in their most formative years—leaving them scarred for a lifetime," he added. Long COVID can leave some children bedbound for years, Iwasaki said. "If you have ever spoken to a parent of a child with long COVID, you quickly learn how devastating it can be to the lives of the children and their family," she added. What Experts Think Should Be Done One key part of tackling the issue is down to "improving vaccine uptake," Al-Aly said. However, the Trump administration has recently removed COVID vaccines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation for healthy children and pregnant women, as part of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr's "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) campaign. Kennedy Jr, a well-known vaccine sceptic, said, when announcing the update on X: "It's common sense and it's good science." Another important step is increasing understanding, Stockwell said. "We really need pediatricians to understand what long COVID looks like in children and understand that symptoms are actually different in different-aged children as well," she added. Treatments are the next vital step, Kleinman said. "We need to develop and identify effective treatments for long COVID in a rapidly iterative and long-term approach to quickly identify promising treatments and to evaluate their effectiveness and safety in practice." That treatment, though, needs to "get at the root causes of the disease," Iwasaki said. She added that long COVID is a disease "driven by the virus and the host responses to the virus involving the immune, neurological, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and pulmonary systems." From a policy perspective, "flexible attendance at school, proper training of teachers and pediatricians, insurance coverage and more funding for research" would all help tackle the issue, Iwasaki added. More broadly, supporting children with long COVID and preventing further cases will require "investment in health and health care services, physical and occupational rehabilitation, and mental health services," Kleinman added, saying this "will be critical for the population health of our children for the foreseeable future."