Bright fireball spotted west of Denver, Colorado
A bright fireball was spotted west of Denver, Colorado at around 10:34 UTC on October 3, 2021. While the event was mainly seen from Colorado, the American Meteor Society (AMS) also received reports from Wyoming and New Mexico.
In total, the AMS received 50 reports by 14:00 UTC on October 4, as well as 12 videos and 4 photos.
"The computer-generated trajectory from the list of current witnesses indicates a short path just west of Denver, CO," AMS said, adding that the fireball was traveling from South West to North East.
The meteor first became visible 87 km (54 miles) above the mountains just east of Vail, moving slightly north of east at 88 500 km/h (55 000 mph), according to NASA Meteor Watch.
During its 48 km (30 miles) journey through the upper atmosphere, the object fragmented twice, causing flares of light as bright as the full Moon.
It disintegrated at an altitude of 56 km (35 miles) above Vasquez Peak, producing a flash of light 3 times brighter than the full Moon, briefly lighting up the sky.
Image credit: AMS
Featured image credit: Baxcam, AMS
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