Bright fireball lights up the sky over southern France

gulf-of-lion-france-fireball-april-2021

A bright fireball streaked across southern France at 20:28 UTC (22:28 LT) on Saturday, April 24, 2021. The fireball traveled over the Gulf of Lion, from Marseille to Montpellier.

The American Meteor Society (AMS) received 579 reports, from France, Italy, and Switzerland.

"I thought I saw a shooting star but the fluorescent green color and the orange trail behind surprised me," wrote an observer in Saint-Maurice-de-Lignon. "The phenomenon did not last more than 3 seconds I think. It was incredible."

"Probably the brightest meteorite I have observed," wrote a watcher in Courpière, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

"[It has] intense luminosity and abnormal size," described another witness who was able to capture the event.

france-fireball-april-24-2021

Fireball heatmap. Image credit: AMS

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Featured image credit: AMS

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