Huge fireball over Northern California

(Not sure if correct forum - please move if needed!)

What luck!

I stepped outside just now at my home near Sacramento, California and a bright light caught my eye. Saw a fireball entry that was more impressive than anything I've ever seen. Looked like a flat track across the sky from SW to SE - maybe 50 degrees inclination. The head was burning white, the trail behind it had to be (visually) 6" long. It was in the sky for a good minute (maybe more) as I had time to point it out to a neighbor and he and I watched it pass by and go behind a tree line. Slowest moving meteor I've ever seen. It finally started breaking up as it reached the SE horizon, or so it appeared behind tree branches..

Did anyone else in the area see this? Was there something big scheduled to come down? Wowsers.

Yes! Saw it from So Cal, Newhall California. Saw two together or one that broke up into two. Very slow moving. Very big and very bright. a reply to: Tripnman

Saw the whole thing!I live in central California. Three friends and myself were sitting outside and saw it from start to finish. There were little pieces breaking off of it in the beginning as it traveled east.

It was very bright for almost the whole distance it traveled but when it got almost out of view it faded considerably and from my point of view looked like it had broken up into two red pieces. My friend got it on his phone. Not a great video but at least it's something. I'll figure out how to post it and do so in a minute

a reply to: Tripnman

Something that took that long to burn and cross the sky maybe is more likely incoming space junk? I've seen fireballs and meteorites before and they usually only last seconds.

Here's hoping it doesn't start any fires...

Exactly. I'm all done with fires. We were just evacuated on Monday due to the Sand fire. a reply to: SentientCentenarian

a reply to: SentientCentenarian

That's the crazy thing! This thing started out probably about 50 degrees above the western horizon and traveled out of view in the eastern horizon. It was still in two red chunks when it finally disappeared from view.

Could have been space junk. A bright yellow tail with red and what looked like bluish or green little chunks coming off of it for about half the distance it traveled.

favouriteslave - If you're in Newhall, that's like 350 miles due south of here. Was this thing to your north, or to your south? It must have been a lot farther away than I thought if you saw it too. You're also a bit east of here, so it would make sense that you saw it in multiple pieces - it appeared to me to be breaking up as it went east.

SentientCentenarian - I agree, that's why I was wondering if something was scheduled to come down. It was much slower than anything I've ever seen. Even the ISS goes overhead faster.

jeramie - The direction of travel matches what I saw. Was it north or south of you?

a reply to: Tripnman

Yeah, In vegas right now and I actually caught a few seconds of it on video. No idea how to post a video though

Sounds like it could have been space junk coming down...anyone know of any satellites or anything that was due to fall ?

I saw it in Las Vegas Nevada at about 9:45 or so, was driving back home from getting food for myself and girlfriend. Stopped right in the parking lot and got out to watch it. It was two pieces, the front most one broke up into a few bright yellow/orange pieces and faded out. The one behind it started to shine blue and eventually dimmed out and vanished.

a reply to: Ripper777

Friends of mine reported seeing it in Reno, NV

It was North of us, moving East. It seemed very big and bright. A friend of mine said her cousin in Vegas saw it too. a reply to: Tripnman

a reply to: Ripper777

I'm an idiot, bear with me but if they saw it in Sacramento and you saw it in Vegas wouldn't it have to be gigantic?

Just asking, truly.

a reply to: Meldionne1

www.aerospace.org...

originally posted by: TNMockingbird
a reply to: Ripper777

I'm an idiot, bear with me but if they saw it in Sacramento and you saw it in Vegas wouldn't it have to be gigantic?

Just asking, truly.

I feel like if it's extremely high up then we could all have a visual on it, doesn't necessarily mean it had to be very large though.

Wow I came online to see if anyone else had spotted this, it was BIG and BRIGHT and really close! Coastal SoCal resident here right along the water. I was out in the backyard with my dogs when I saw it in the north sky travailing west to east i believe, at least from my perspective.

Odd thing is I only saw it in one piece, not two.

Hopefully someone out there got it on video.

Quite a sight.

a reply to: TNMockingbird
The ISS can be seen in Sacramento and Las Vegas, as can more normal sized satellites.
It doesn't have to be really big, it just has to be really high.

a reply to: Phage

Well, I suppose that explains it then doesn't it?

Thank you Phage.

Or does it explain it?

a reply to: GoofingOff

West to east would be a typical direction for space junk.