FLORIDA, USA — Hundreds of Floridians reported seeing a fireball light up the night sky late Monday.
A meteor illuminated the dark around 10 p.m., streaking diagonally across the sky and projected to have landed off the coast of Jupiter Beach. More than 200 people reported seeing the fireball, including a Julington Creek man, who reported a "bright multi-colored comet in the sky for about three seconds. The biggest and brightest" he has ever seen.
First Coast News Meteorologist Lauren Rautenkranz says Monday's New Moon phase meant for a darker night, coupled with clear skies made for perfect meteor-watching conditions.
NWS Tampa Bay tweeted a satellite image from GOES-16 that appears to show the possible space rock as it burned up off the coast of the Sunshine State.
Story continues below.
First Coast News Meteorologist Mike Prangley says we can expect to see more of these brightly lit meteors as we approach the peak of the Lyrid Meteor Shower, which coincides with Earth Day on April 22. It will feature around 15 to 20 meteors per hour on the night of April 21 into early April 22.
The American Meteor Society has gotten 205 reports of people seeing the fireball, including some in the Bahamas and Georgia. It defines a "fireball" as "another term for a very bright meteor, generally brighter than magnitude -4, which is about the same magnitude of the planet Venus as seen in the morning or evening sky."
If you saw the fireball, you can report the sighting by clicking here.
RELATED: Fireball lights up Florida night sky