An exceptionally bright green fireball was spotted by hundreds of sky watchers in the western U.S. over the weekend.
The falling space object, captured in dashcam videos as it burned through the atmosphere, was reportedly so large that some observers mistook it for an aircraft falling out of the sky.
Many observers reported their sightings to the American Meteor Society, with reports and images coming from states that included Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, as well as Canadian provinces late Saturday and early Sunday.
Video (above) credit to Mr. Wyatt, via American Meteor Society.
Those who saw the object described it as being extremely bright, with observers in many states mistaking it for a fireworks display. Several who weren’t looking at the sky at the time the green fireball streaked through the northwestern sky still saw the bright flash it produced.
Many who saw the spectacle in the sky over the weekend shared reports of their observations in comments posted to the Facebook page of the U.S. National Weather Service out of Pocatello, Idaho.
One observer near Tetonia, Idaho, said the fireball “Lit up the whole sky like a welding arc” as it fell toward the ground.
A few observers also reported a loud boom associated with the object. One individual who saw it near the Lamar Valley in Wyoming called the fireball “Epic,” adding that “the sonic boom was a little scary.”
A similar report from an observer near Yellowstone National Park said that “the sound from the explosion it made was incredible and kind of scary.”
One couple who saw the fireball shortly after leaving Old Faithful, one of the most famous geysers in Yellowstone, said it “sounded like deep thunder or almost like a jet just not as loud.”
“I thought I was witnessing end times,” wrote one observer who observed the fireball while driving through Wyoming’s Wind River mountains. “It was amazing to see the colors of it, and the actual fire-like look of the tail burning up!”
Others said the object’s trajectory brought it extremely close to the ground, with one observer near Ucon, Idaho, saying it was “by far the lowest to the ground” they had seen.
According to an entry for the event on its website, the American Meteor Society (AMS) said it had recieved 112 reports from observers in the region. Additional information and videos related to this weekend’s the bright fireball display can be found on the AMS website.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.