Little Rock, Ark. – A bright meteor bolted across the night sky around 7 p.m. in Maumelle. Multiple reports came in about a bright flash and loud noise across central Arkansas February 6, 2023.

The noise was likely a sonic boom associated with the meteor burning up in Earth’s atmosphere.

A sonic boom can happen before the shooting star slows below the speed of sound, which is 343m/s or ~700mph; however, atmospheric conditions can alter the speed of sound some. No rain or thunderstorms were present in Arkansas Monday evening.

A meteor is better known as a shooting star. It’s when a rocky object from space (called a meteoroid) burns up as it passes through Earth’s atmosphere. A fireball is a particularly bright shooting star, according to NASA.

A meteorite is when whatever is left of the shooting star makes it to the ground.

Often we don’t receive many reports of hearing shooting stars, but February 6, 2023, was different. People from Dardanelle, Maumelle, Sheridan, Little Rock & Burns Park said they heard a loud noise sounding like a boom Monday evening.

You can share any videos or photos of the meteor here.