Superbolide

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An exceptionally luminous meteor that produces a brilliant flash of light brighter than the full moon as it burns through the atmosphere
2. A meteor of exceptional brightness that creates a dramatic light display visible even in daylight, often accompanied by sonic booms
3. An extraordinarily bright shooting star whose intense illumination rivals or exceeds that of the full moon during its atmospheric passage

Etymology: "Superbolide" is a compound of the prefix "super-", meaning "above" or "beyond" in Latin, and "bolide," a word for an exceptionally bright meteor that breaks up or explodes in the atmosphere. The "bolide" element comes from French, which took it from Latin "bolis," itself borrowed from Greek "bolis," meaning a missile or a flash of light from a thrown object. The result describes an especially large or brilliant fireball, one whose brightness or energy outstrips an ordinary bolide. Astronomers use the term to mark the upper end of that range, so the word tells you about scale as much as about the object's shape or path.

Synonyms: fireball, bolide, meteoroid