Did you see the fireball?

Predictions of visible fireballs overhead at night during the Perseid meteor shower, which peaked Aug. 12-13, may have been a little overblown.

It’s not that the fireballs weren’t there; it’s just that the moon happens to be in a large and reflective phase lately. Moonlight tends to brighten the whole sky, washing out otherwise visible objects like planets, stars and meteors.

But some Washington and Oregon meteor seekers who were looking up on Wednesday a few minutes after 10 p.m. spotted a speeding fireball in the sky, according to Jim Todd, the space science education director at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.

The closest local report appears to be from Molly in Ridgefield, who glimpsed a glowing orange-red fireball while facing south in the lawn

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