{"id":922980,"date":"2026-10-06T16:46:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T16:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/922980\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T16:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T16:46:12","slug":"watch-a-brilliant-green-meteor-explode-over-arizona-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/922980\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch a brilliant green meteor explode over Arizona (video)"},"content":{"rendered":"

A magnificent fireball lit up the night sky above Arizona in the early hours of Oct. 6, blazing a fiery path as it streaked earthward through the atmosphere before appearing to disintegrate as it neared the horizon.<\/p>\n

The fireball<\/a> flared repeatedly during its descent through Earth’s atmosphere<\/a>, which was captured in a livestream<\/a> from the town of Dragoon, Arizona operated by the trainspotting website SouthWest RailCams and shared by X user rbmichae80<\/a>.<\/p>\n

@ArabSteez Video from a webcam in Dragoon AZ, southeast of Tucson, it enters the frame at 1:03:43 am, from https:\/\/t.co\/G1N8Riy7Pp https:\/\/t.co\/jLvSkM72OaOctober 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy also shared his view of the fireball’s final moments in a post on X<\/a>. “Absolutely insane sky-crossing meteor just now in Arizona,” commented McCarthy<\/a>. “Visibly green\/turquoise with pieces breaking off, glowed brightly until about 10 degrees off the horizon”.<\/p>\n

McCarthy noted that the fireball appeared to be moving too fast to be a satellite re-entering Earth’s atmosphere as it travelled eastward through the early morning sky. “My best guess is it ‘landed’ somewhere over Tonto national forest,” continued McCarthy. “Anyone else see it?”<\/p>\n

I only caught the very tail end of it with the camera. I might be wrong bit it looked like it was moving far too fast to be a starlink reentry. https:\/\/t.co\/OBitk7PGbKOctober 6, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

What is a fireball?<\/p>\n

Fireballs appear when chunks of asteroids<\/a> or comets<\/a> ranging from a few centimeters to multiple meters in size \u2014 known as meteoroids \u2014 strike Earth’s atmosphere while travelling at tens of thousands of miles per hour.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Canon EOS R8<\/p>\n

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\"The\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Canon)<\/p>\n

The EOS R8 delivers the essential interval shooting functionality you need to capture meteors without bursting the bank. Check out our full Canon EOS R8 review<\/a> for more.<\/p>\n

The shards of interplanetary debris are swiftly slowed and heated by atmospheric friction, which can make them shine brighter than the planet Venus<\/a> as they carve a fiery path through the night sky, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The color of a fireball is determined in part by its chemical composition, with the vivid green hue reported during the Oct. 6 event potentially indicating a relatively high magnesium content, per the National Park Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Space\"<\/p>\n

Fragments of larger meteors that survive to reach the surface are known as meteorites<\/a> and can serve as a valuable window into the formation of the solar system<\/a>. Think your rock might be from outer space? Then be sure to read our home guide to identifying and observing meteorite features<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Editor’s Note: If you would like to share your astrophotography with Space.com’s readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com.<\/p>\n