A shimmering meteor was spotted cutting across the sky over the famed Gateway Arch in Missouri hours before revelers rushed to a New Year’s Eve celebration at the monument’s base.
“HEY LOOK, it’s… A meteor saying hi to the Gateway Arch on New Year’s Eve!” The St. Louis Gateway Arch’s X account wrote in a post shared with the breathtaking video.
In the six-second clip, a small white speck appears over one end of the arch. It grows into a green blaze that pulses once before disappearing back into the dark obscurity provided by the predawn sky — right as it reaches the arch’s peak.
The viral video was captured on an Earth Cam situated at Malcolm Martin Memorial Park in east St. Louis. The camera is angled directly towards the city’s skyline all day, every day.
Meteorologist Angela Hutti told Fox 2 Nowthat the green spark was likely a byproduct of a meteor burning up.
“There are different names based on where the object is at. When it is in space, it is called a meteoroid. As it enters Earth’s atmosphere and begins to burn, as seen in the video, it is a meteor. NASA says if it “survives a trip” in the atmosphere and strikes ground, it is then classified as a meteorite,” Hutti explained.
She added that the same event can also produce shooting stars.
Viewers were stunned by the meteor’s seemingly perfect timing, as if it were one final interstellar treat before the New Year.
“One last hello from the universe before the calendar flips. Even the Arch showed up for New Year’s Eve,” one user commented.
St. Louis hosts its annual Winterfest in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. Its New Year’s Eve celebration, dubbed “Neon Nights,” is oriented towards the city’s kids to give them something to do while their parents are preparing to party.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is expected to peak in Missouri between Jan. 3 and 4.
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