New Delhi, March 22 -- A dramatic celestial event lit up the skies over Texas on March 21, as a bright fireball streaked across the evening horizon, drawing widespread attention and scientific interest, according to the NASA.

As per the space agency, residents reported seeing the luminous object at around 4:40 p.m. CDT, describing it as a streak racing across the sky.

The meteor first became visible at an altitude of roughly 49 miles above Stagecoach, located northwest of Houston.

Travelling at an estimated 35,000 miles per hour, the meteor moved southeast before breaking apart mid-air. The fragmentation occurred at about 29 miles above Bammel, just west of Cypress Station.

The breakup reportedly released energy equivalent to several ...