Fireball Flies above Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii

Fireball Flies above Gemini North Telescope in Hawaii

Watch out! You never know when you will see something different in the sky, like this extra-bright meteor, known as a fireball, spotted by the Maunakea live webcam near the Gemini North telescope in Hawai‘i. Live webcams are usually used to monitor the weather at observing sites, but these ever-open ‘eyes’ can also help spot fleeting events in the sky. Gemini North is one half of the International Gemini Observatory, funded in part by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and operated by NSF NOIRLab.

Fireballs are brighter-than-average meteors. They are so bright that they can even be seen in the daytime. A steadily growing number of fireballs have been recorded by the American Meteor Society each year. In fact, there are several thousand fireballs a day, but most go unnoticed since the majority occur over the ocean and half occur during daytime.

You can also see this fireball in the timelapse image of the night sky.

Learn more about Fireballs:
https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/fireballs/

Gemini North Telescope:
https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/gemini-observatory/gemini-north/

Credit: International Gemini Observatory / NOIRLab / NSF / AURA
Release Date: Jan. 14, 2026

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