The meteor was first spotted over Chowchilla, California, on Sunday night and was traveling at roughly 35,000 mph. Witnesses at first thought it was a missile
The moment the green colored meteor is spotted(Image: @breaking911/X)
What appeared to be a green flash spotted in western U.S. this week was actually a meteor, according to NASA Space Alerts.
The meteor was first spotted over Chowchilla, California, on Sunday night and was traveling at roughly 35,000 mph.
“That’s insane. Imagine looking up and seeing that light up the sky… moments like that remind you how wild and unpredictable space really is,” one user wrote about the meteor on X.
NASA said the meteor traveled 58 miles through the upper atmosphere but broke apart roughly 29 miles above Calflax.
The organization said the meteor is independent from other recent bright meteors because of its “different radiant and speed.”
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Over 300 people from California, Nevada and Arizona told the American Meteor Society that it spotted the bright green meteor.
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Gregory E. spotted the bright green meteor from Lake Nacimiento in San Luis Obispo County, California, around 8:20 p.m. local time and wrote that he thought it was a missile at first.
The missile was spotted across Nevada, California and Arizona. (Image: @breaking911/X)
“I’ve seen plenty of satellites, SpaceX launches (and explosions), and meteor showers. We thought it was a missile at first. It was kinda terrifying. By the end of it, it looked more like a firework, but it was FAR too bright. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before and matches the reference photos on this website PERFECTLY. SO cool!”
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“The brightest thing I’ve ever seen!!!” another watcher, Dawn B., wrote, spotting the meteor from Merced, California, at roughly 8:15 p.m.
Those observing the meteor also noted the loud sounds.
“We heard a boom that wasn’t loud enough to shake the house approximately two minutes after seeing the fireball,” Stephanie O. reported to the American Meteor Society from Fresno, California.
“I have never witnessed anything like this,” wrote Doughlas H. from Clovis, California. “At first, I thought it might be a drone flying overhead.”
The Daily Mail reported that this was the third fireball seen in the U.S since last week.
NASA Space Alerts also said a fireball was witnessed in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada on the night of March 23.
“It traveled northeast and disintegrated above Saginaw Bay. At its peak, the fireball was 40 times brighter than the planet Venus,” the alert noted.
Last Sunday late afternoon, , a fireball was also spotted in Texas. The NASA Space Alerts said the fireball was moving at 35,000 miles per hour and broke apart 29 miles above Bammel in Harris County, Texas, west of Cypress Station.
“The fragmentation of the meteor — which weighed about a ton with a diameter of 3 feet — created a pressure wave that caused booms heard by some in the area,” the alert noted on March 21.
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