In the early morning of August 30 a fireball flew across the sky of Western NC and then went on its way farther south. I didn’t see the event nor even know anything about it until I read an online article.
Here’s a video WLOS in Asheville shared.
Seeing the video makes me wish I’d seen it. The occurrence reminds me of a few things.
Of course the first thing that comes to mind is the eclipse of 2017. We were all home that day and got to experience it together. A day that will stay with me for the rest of my life. You can read about it here.
I was also reminded of a guest post Ed Ammons wrote about seeing the northern lights. I’ve always wanted to see them. I enjoy seeing videos of the colors flying across the night sky. You can read Ed’s post here, he also shares a couple of other strange sky happenings.
Back in the day before we had all the information of the world at our fingertips strange sky happenings often caused people to think the end of time was nigh.
Learning about the fireball brought to mind a story from those days.
In addition to drying and canning apples, Father also made sulfured apples; I shall always remember the first year he did them. It had been a sticky hot day in August with clouds that moved sluggishly and looked like great wads of used chewing gum. Father brought in some barrels and boxes of sulfur from the store. Mother, my sister Della Mae, and I were set to peeling and cutting the apples for him. Father put the barrels in the smokehouse which was empty at that time of the year. The smell of burning sulfur drifted out and the evening air carried it all through the house and yard.
Along about dusky-dark a bad storm came up, with lightning and rolling thunder bouncing from the mountain tops. The storm struck the orchard. Some apple trees were uprooted, others had limbs broken off, and apples, even green ones, blanketed the ground under the remaining trees. We went to bed with the smell of the rain-wet earth and the sulfur from the smokehouse still around us.
Later in the night Father called us from the front porch and we all tumbled out of bed. I thought that daylight had come until I saw how strange it looked outside. Lights-first yellow then blue and red, moved over the hills. Father said it might be the end of the world and Mother leaned against the porch railing praying out loud. After awhile the lights died down and it was dark again. I learned that the strange phenomenon was called the aurora borealis, but people on Stoney Fork spoke of the “Northern Lights” for years. That was the only time I ever saw the aurora borealis in our part of the country. The thunder and lightning, the smell of the sulfured apples, followed by the unearthly lights, all made an impression that will always linger in the recesses of my mind.
—More Than Moonshine written by Sidney Saylor Farr
I first read Farr’s account of the aurora borealis several years ago. The story stuck with me. Thinking of the family working together through the stifling heat to provide food for themselves, enduring the raging storm, and then experiencing an unearthly event that frightened them into thinking the end of time had come really struck a chord with me.
Last night’s video: Huge Garden Tour & My Videos Are Being Stolen.
Tipper
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You spoke of getting to see the solar eclipse in 2017 with your family, and that you will never forget it. We were in the path of this last solar eclipse in 2023. But our home was maybe 10 miles outside of the line. So my husband, grown son, and I got in our truck and drove south just so we could get into the path of totality. My husband continue to drive south until he got us smack dab in the middle of the path. we live in farm country in Indiana. We drove down a country road, and then found a nice gravel road to turn onto. We sat there in our truck with no one else around for miles. We watched the sun for an hour as it dimmed, with our glasses on, of course. And at the moment of totality, we were able to take them off and watch that beautiful site. I will never forget it either. I will not forget it as long as I live. What a beautiful thing to experience, way out in the middle of nowhere. It was awesome. I said out loud, “the heavens declare the glory of God. “
FACEBOOK information that might help you… Tipper, I am older and not great at social media, but when I watched your video about your facebook problems, I thought of another Youtuber that had this happen. You can look up her videos about it, I would think. She did not know what to do, either, but somehow, she got everything worked out. I was thinking you could DM her and see if she could help. Her channel is ‘Cooking at Pam’s Place’. I hope that she or someone else can help you. Love your videos and it is absolutely terrible that someone would do this to you. Praying for a positive resolution. May Christ continue to bless you and your sweet family.
Shawna-thank you for the idea!
Hello all! I live in Parkersburg, West Virginia along the Ohio River and was just across the river in Ohio that early morning ending my work shift, when I saw the fireball with a green / yellow tail and just as it was going out of view due to buildings there, I saw a red flash of light. I wonder if anyone else saw it up in this area as well, I gather it was the same one? Unsure, but an interesting sight to see!
Hi Tipper,
I always enjoy reading your posts about our beloved Appalachia. I have an online magazine called ah law, y’all! Celebrating Southern Appalachia. If you’d ever like to contribute a story, I’d be honored to include it in the mag!
Last night we heard your YouTube report about the videos being stolen. That is so very wrong, Tipper. We’re sorry this had happened.
I have been reading about the fireball in the sky seen in twelve states and wondered if you got to see it. The Bible says there will be signs in the heavens before Christ returns. I heard the fireball was identified as a ‘possible’ meteor. I’m not sure I believe some of the explanations for UFOs.
I saw the northern lights a lot in the 7O’s while touring W Canada with a little band out of Nashville and later with Tommy Jennings. So eerie.. out in the boondocks the wolves go crazy and start howling.. quite an experience!!
I forgot to mention, I live about 35 miles from Travelers Rest but knew nothing about the fireball seen there until the next day and it was all over. I think it was around 1:00 am when it was seen. Too late for me.
I’ve been wondering about the signs in the heavens. Seems to me we have been seeing a lot of unusual things. Or is it that there are more reports now than there used to be? I think the weather this summer has been different from any one of the other 31 years we have lived here. We had days of sustained dry easterly and even northwest winds, really strange for summer. They are typically from the southwest and bring rain from the Gulf.
Ron, I have read an article in the last week or so about NASA deliberately having some of their equipment hit a meteorite, breaking off many pieces of all sizes that now floating in space. Just an old man’s opinion, but I think you are asking for trouble when you start messing with God’s work or if you are not religious, Mother Nature. As for the weather I heard it preached all of my life that one of the signs for the end of time is droughts, famines and not being able to tell one season from another.
We got to see the Northern Lights in west-central Virginia last spring; oddly enough, they were clearer when viewed through my phone’s camera.
I only saw the eclipse in 2017. After all of the nights I would be sick on my stomach or feel like I had sand in my eyes while working the graveyard/ night shift because of lack of sleep, I don’t intentionally stay awake at night for anything unless it is mighty important. My Daddy spent time in Alaska while in the Army in the mid 1940’s. I think he mentioned seeing the Northern Lights. For the rest of his life he always wanted to go back and see Alaska again.
I can only imagine the fear the older generations had when they saw things in the sky they couldn’t explain. I remember back when we were seeing the UFOs and didn’t know what they were. I am still not sure what they were but figure many of them were these satellites being put into space.
I would love to witness the northern lights in person someday.
Genesis to Revelation, the Bible explains the signs from the lights seen in the Heavens, all to announce the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanks for adding the video, I hadn’t heard about the fireball either. Whenever the news says there will be happenings in the sky, I try to stay up to go out to watch for them. I miss just about all of them because we have so many tall trees around us blocking the view of where said sky event was to happen.
There were reports of a fireball over Boone and Valle Crusis, North Carolina and Travelers Rest in upstate South Carolina that night. Was it the same one you post about or was there a cluster of them?
Ed-I think its the same one 🙂
Hello Tipper. Just before I read about the fireball, I saw a news article about the astronauts at the space station seeing a meteor entering our system . He said it was over N. Africa and could be seen over a very large area. Since the timing correlates I wonder if it’s the same event.
The Northern lights could be seen around this time of year when I lived in Northern Wisconsin. They were lovely to behold but also eerie. They didn’t last long but the memory of them did.
Thanks for sharing the video.