The sighting over central California is the third meteor event seen in the U.S. in the past six days.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Experts say a bright fireball streaking across central California overnight Monday was likely a meteor entering the atmosphere.
Mike Hankey, operations manager for the American Meteor Society, said the organization received more than 200 reports through its website and app, placing the event south of Sacramento.
“A fireball meteor came into the atmosphere, and … it was a small rock from an asteroid, fragment from an asteroid,” Hankey said.
He said reports of rumbling or booming sounds in the area suggest the object made it deep into the atmosphere before breaking apart.
The sighting is the third meteor event seen in the United States in the past week, including a large daytime fireball in Ohio and a meteorite that went through a house in Texas days later.
Despite the timing, the events are likely unrelated, Hankey said.
“Typically, they would be considered random events,” he said, noting that connecting them would require detailed analysis of their paths or physical composition.
He added there tends to be an increase in fireball activity in February, a pattern observed over years of tracking data, though there is no clear scientific explanation.
Some images online showed the fireball glowing bright green, a color Hankey said can occur. He noted that perception can vary depending on cameras or lighting conditions, but meteors are often seen in shades of green or blue, as well as white, orange or red.
WATCH: Green meteor spotted over California