Bright fireball over San Diego, California
Image credit: Bright fireball over San Diego, California - April 2017 Copyright: Dave Kodama
A very bright fireball was seen and recorded streaking through the night sky over San Diego, California around 04:00 UTC on April 11, 2017 (21:00 PDT, April 10). Witnesses have described the event as green and very bright fireball, lasting for several seconds.
As of 12:34 UTC, the American Meteor Society has received 295 reports. 11 of them mentioned sound associated with the event while 76 reported fragmentation. The sight was initially thought to be an airplane crash in Hesperia, but there was no wreckage found.
The meteor was primarily seen from the San Diego and Los Angeles, California but people from Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico also reported seeing it.
The AMS made preliminary trajectory based on received reports. The meteor was traveling from east to west and ended its visible flight on the Lake Michigan somewhere over the San Diego Trough.
Bright fireball over San Diego, California around 04:00 UTC on April 11, 2017. Eyewitnesses heatmap. Credit: AMS
The image below shows the preliminary 3D trajectory of the event:
Credit: AMS
Video courtesy Steve Yonemura/AMS
Video courtesy Meteor Marc
Video courtesy Dave Kodama
Video courtesy Faye Heddings/AMS
Video courtesy S Diego
Video courtesy Network126
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I’m an Uber driver. I was driving down the 55 Southbound towards Costa Mesa, CA and I caught the whole thing on my HD dashcam – https://youtu.be/VtsXPMQ-niI
Good one! Thank you, Brian. Added
A red and blue fire trail was also seen 4-10-2017 shortly after 9:00 pm traveling from south of las vegas. It traveled north west impacting in the spring mountains between Kyle canyon and lee canyon. The impact created a huge bright light.
Thank you, Kathleen.