A very bright meteor, typically brighter than magnitude -4 (brighter than Venus), that appears as a glowing ball of fire streaking across the sky. Fireballs often leave persistent glowing trails.
From Middle English 'fir' (fire) and 'bal' (ball), originally used to describe various bright phenomena. The astronomical usage developed in the 19th century to describe exceptionally bright meteors that resembled balls of fire.
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