Durham Resident Witnessed Meteor From Her Couch

Durham resident Susan Woodson was at home Friday night when she noticed something unusual in the sky through a window.

"It was so bright and big it caught my eye while I was watching TV," Woodson said. "I thought it was a firework rocket or one of those Chinese sky lanterns but it was glowing green, and went from basketball size to baseball size to gone in about six seconds."

What Woodson saw, she quickly found out, was a meteor. And she wasn't alone.

Around 8 p.m. Friday night, accounts started pouring in from Maine to Florida about the bright, streaking light in the sky.

"It looked like it was heading south from the northwest sky. It was incredible that I saw it sitting on my couch," said Woodson, who lives on Main Street.

Scientists said the meteor was about the size of a washing machine and was traveling 15 miles per second, according to the Washington Post. Meteors are not that rare but are usually not reported because they typically occur in remote areas of the world, according to Richard Binzel, a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

For a few seconds though Woodson wasn't sure what might happen next.

"It honestly looked like it was about to crash in our neighbors yard," she said. "It was a pretty exciting six seconds.