A large meteor that crossed parts of Rowan County about 1 a.m. Friday was large enough that it prompted calls reporting a possible plane crash off Moorseville Road near White Road.

There were reports and sightings of several large meteors in the night sky overnight Thursday into Friday with the National Weather Service saying they received reports from Northeastern Tennessee to Northwestern North Carolina, specifically including Rowan County.

Several videos shared on Facebook show a large ball of light traveling through the sky at a fairly high rate of speed, often with green sparks of light. A spokesperson for the NWS said that is common among meteors, along with other colors, because the element components of meteors can burn different colors, like in high school chemistry class.

The Perseid meteor shower did peak Aug. 11 and 12, but NWS said there could still be activity at the tail end of that shower even now.

The reports included hearing booms, which NWS also said can be common, as parts of meteors can be explosive and can make popping or loud booming sounds. Whether or not someone would hear it depends on how close the person is to the meteor. What is more rare is for a meteor to actually land, since they typically burn up completely before reaching earth. Unsubstantiated reports were that meteorites in Thursday morning’s show did land somewhere around Johnson City, Tennessee, but no one has yet validated that.

Meanwhile, the initial call reporting a possible plane crash sent firefighters out along Mooresville Road searching for a crash site while dispatchers contacted the FAA and the Charlotte airport to see if there had been any reports of mayday or distress calls or filed flight plans in the area but there was nothing. After determining it seemed unlikely that there was a plane crash, the dispatcher said he had received information that the meteor shower may still be happening and it could be a meteor that had been seen.

A second call came from a retired paramedic who had caught the meteor on video and it showed green sparks. The Salisbury police department captured video of the meteor crossing the sky over Innes Street at Mahaley Avenue, but they cannot release the security images to the public.

Travis Burcham from Mocksville did capture the meteor on his home security camera and shared it with the Post.

“It’s wild what flies through our skies while we sleep at night,” he said.