Meteor that lit up Florida night sky mistaken for boat in distress

Meteor lights up Florida night sky

A confirmed meteor was spotted from Flagler Beach on the evening of Sunday, Feb. 4, 2023. [Nest video is courtesy of Deb Bennet]

FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. - A confirmed meteor sighting illuminated the night sky over Flagler Beach at around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday evening, as captured in a Nest camera video.

Derek Demeter, planetarium director at Seminole State College, described this as an exceptionally bright meteor that exploded in the air right off the coast of Flagler Beach. The American Meteor Society has independently corroborated the occurrence, which it posted on its webpage.

"A lot of these are anecdotal; a lot of these are testimonials, you know. Like, ‘Hey, I saw a fireball!’ But do you have any proof? No. So having a camera out there further proves that these things are happening a lot of the time," Demeter explained.

Some onlookers initially thought the meteor was a flare from a troubled boat and its crew and notified the U.S. Coast Guard. In a comprehensive search effort, a Coast Guard Station Ponce De Leon response boat crew and a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater helicopter crew scoured the area. However, no distress signals or signs were detected.