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Glorious Geminid meteor shower fireball caught on cop's dashcam

The green fireball couldn't escape the long lens of the law.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
fireball

The Indiana law enforcement officer should be able to pick this fireball out of a lineup.

Video screenshot/red circle by Amanda Kooser/CNET

The annual Geminid meteor shower is putting on a show of shooting stars this month, and a police officer in Indiana captured quite a performance from one particular fireball this week. 

Chris Cramer with the Howard County Sheriff's Department was out on patrol when his dashcam picked up a blazing green fireball blasting across the sky Wednesday night. It then disappears into the dark. The department shared the footage on Facebook on Thursday.

HCSD Dash Cam Meteor

While on patrol last night, Cpl. Cramer caught what appears to be a meteor entering our atmosphere on his dash camera near 600 E. on SR22. According to internet research, it appears that we are in the peak of the Geminid Meteor Shower. If you get a chance, the best viewing will be tonight and tomorrow according to the article below! https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/look-up-gleaming-geminid-meteor-shower-of-2018-peaks-tonight/ Sgt. Buckley

Posted by Howard County Sheriff's Department on Thursday, December 13, 2018

"Cpl. Cramer caught what appears to be a meteor entering our atmosphere on his dash camera near 600 E. on SR22," the sheriff's department wrote. 

Cramer's sighting seems to match up with reports made to the American Meteor Society of a fireball spotted from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania on the same night. One observer saw sparks coming off the fireball. Another said it looked as if it was going to land on the highway. 

Not everyone will be so lucky as to see such a massive fireball from the Geminids, but there should be plenty of opportunities to catch sight of a falling star as the meteor shower continues to show off for Earth's enjoyment.

Here's how to view the meteor shower, both in person and online.

Geminid glam shots: Meteor magic from around the globe (pictures)

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