Large Fireball over Southern California

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215 witnesses have reported a large fireball over Southern California on November 6th around 7:50pm PST (3:50 on 11/7 UT). The fireball was seen from primarily California, but witnesses from Arizona, Nevada and Utah also reported seeing the fireball.

At least one video of the event has been recorded.

Here is the current heat map for the event that shows where the witnesses reported from. Click the image below to review the event map and witness reports for this fireball.

Heat Map – AMS Event #2765-2013

Heat Map – AMS Event #2765-2013

A preliminary trajectory plot shows the meteor entered over the San Diego County, CA (North East) and flew on a south west trajectory, ending somewhere near Lake Henshaw.

Preliminary trajectory – AMS Event #2765-2013

Preliminary trajectory – AMS Event #2765-2013

If you saw this fireball, please report it here.

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36 comments

  • Marina Galatro 11 years ago

    I saw it on my way home from the SD airport. I was heading toward downtown SD when I saw this bright flash in the sky. It was like a lightning flash.

    Reply to Marina
    • Pamela Langford 11 years ago

      I saw it on Bob Hope drive just after getting off the 10 heading home nto Rancho Mirage, CA after spending the day at the LA zoo….it streaked across the sky then flashed like lightening or like a camera flash going off…it was awesome!!!!

      Reply to Pamela
  • Vince 11 years ago

    I saw this last night off of Hawthorne blvd and Sepulveda. Looking south, it was moving east to west. I looked at my clock afterwards at 7:50 PM. I saw two bright white/orange explosions as it came down, seemed like it was breaking up, but the final explosion was a BRIGHT electric blue. It looked like electricity. My first thoughts were power line, then missile, then meteor.

    Reply to Vince
  • Aaron Gifford 11 years ago

    I have a video of it also, I just uploaded it.
    -Aaron

    Reply to Aaron
    • john quintana 11 years ago

      could you send me the video of the meteor ….thank you

      Reply to john
      • amsadmin 11 years ago

        John,

        I’m sorry but the video is not ours to forward. We only have permission to post
        it on our website with credit to the owner. It may be viewed via the link in the
        article at:

        http://www.amsmeteors.org/videos/?video_id=105

        I hope this helps.

        Robert Lunsford
        American Meteor Society

        Reply to amsadmin
        • Aaron Gifford 11 years ago

          By the way, it was shown on channel 7 news in LA and on ABC nightly news.

          Reply to Aaron
  • Candice 11 years ago

    I live in Phoenix, AZ and saw it at about 8:50 p.m. AZ time. I was driving north on a city street and had just turned west onto a residential street. It was very low in the sky and easily visible against the black sky. It was exciting for me because I have never seen anything like it before. It was streaking from left to right and was yellow/orange and then it was gone. I thought it was a shooting star but now I’m excited that it was a meteor.

    Reply to Candice
  • Camille Victour 11 years ago

    I saw it in Palm Desert, CA at 7:50. Happened so fast I couldn’t really tell what it was at first. It seemed so close I braked in my car thinking I might hit it! Amazing sight!

    Reply to Camille
  • Ched W 11 years ago

    I clearly remember seeing this meteor while walking to my truck from the ship at Naval Base San Diego. I was walking along the quay wall which is about 144T or southeast (pier heading is 054T). I saw two prominent blue green flashes about a half second apart, and remember thinking, “Lightning? In San Diego?” When I looked up by reflex, to the east I saw the remnants of the fireball. I reported it as travelling east, but thinking back, and after reading on here it was moving west, I cannot recall if I actually saw enough of it to say how it was heading. It was blue green in color, however, and I did not hear any booms.

    Reply to Ched
  • Aloma 11 years ago

    I was driving from Rancho Mirage towards Whitewater, CA on the Interstate 10 when there was a big flash that lit up the sky. I thought it was lightning, although it seemed strange as there were no clouds in the sky.

    Reply to Aloma
  • Deb 11 years ago

    I live in Cedar City, Utah. I was sitting upstairs watching basketball on TV and looking out my huge windows that face south when I seen a streak then a huge orange fireball and explosion. It looked like it came from the South and was going to the Southwest. I seen it just a second or two before it exploded and it looked like an orange cluster.

    Reply to Deb
  • Scott Jones 11 years ago

    I saw this one driving home in Las Vegas, Nevada — It looked like it was in the south end of town! Pretty awesome to see something this bright through the light pollution of Las Vegas!

    Reply to Scott
  • Jan F. 11 years ago

    My neighbor and I saw it in north Phoenix at 8:45 or so..beautiful and big compared to falling stars….white with orange around one edge..

    Reply to Jan
  • Carl 11 years ago

    I saw this meteor from Napa, CA in the southern sky traveling westerly. I couldn’t find any local news and was surprised today to learn that it entered the atmosphere over San Diego County. As stated by others it appeared to flash bluish-green.

    Reply to Carl
  • Dave Greaves 11 years ago

    On 11-08-2013 around 7pm I and another person while walking our dogs both saw an above normal fireball traveling across the sky over Los Angeles. This is the next night after the larger one around same time the night before that this page is about.. This one on the 8th seemed very similar to one night before but smaller. We were in Long Beach CA on pacific coast highway 1 just north of the traffic circle walking north in front of the Rodeway inn/hotel. We were not looking that way but both noticed it anyways and both turned to see it very clearly as it traveled passing out of view behind the rodeways big sign then could again see as it kept going from the other side of the sign then burned out.. Maybe 3 seconds or so? one or the other of us often see a brief streak but never both of us like this.. this was much bigger then things we normally see.. the timing made us wonder if it could in anyway be related to the previous nights fireball.

    Reply to Dave
    • Alma 11 years ago

      I was standing at Huntington, CA pier around 7ish when I saw a 3-4 second long streak in the sky. I was looking towards Long beach, it looked like it was between Huntington and Longbeach, as if it was heading out the city. I had never seen, what I called, a huge beautiful falling star, like that in my life, I felt so lucky.

      Reply to Alma
  • Kevin T 11 years ago

    I was at Majestic Softball Fields in Las Vegas, facing south when I saw the fireball. I didn’t note the time, but it was during the middle of our practice, between 7 and 9 pm. I’d estimate it was around 20 degrees above the southern horizon, flat trajectory–maybe 15 degrees down from east to west. It brightened initially, cooled off, then brightened again…all in a short time span, of course. I’ve been lucky to see many fireballs in my lifetime, including the daylight fireball of August 10, 1972, when I was living in Idaho.

    Reply to Kevin
  • Jeanette 11 years ago

    I live in Utah and i saw it. I thought out was a very bright shooting star.

    Reply to Jeanette
  • Amanda 11 years ago

    Jk- to my last post- I thought this was for 11/10/13. Duh! My bad! I saw one last night 11/10/13 at 7:00 pm MST

    Reply to Amanda
  • amber 11 years ago

    Just saw a big green fireball over Newton,Ks! Anyone else?

    Reply to amber
  • Randy Pectol 11 years ago

    I trying to find someone that saw the green fireball streaking through southern hemisphere of the Phoenix sky. The fireball was traveling from west into the east. It was @ about 8:30 PM on November 19th, 2013. I know Sky Harbor airport had to see it because the control tower faces it, but I’ve heard not a word from anyone and with what I’ve not been hearing from our Government is what has me quite worried over the whole thing.

    Reply to Randy
  • Tyler 11 years ago

    I saw it. I know this is a late comment, but I was able to see it from my neighborhood in Oceanside.

    Reply to Tyler
  • Todd 11 years ago

    I saw it from Rancho Bernardo San Diego CA. It appears only a second from white turning into red. It seems a huge object on fire at the end. Too short to pull out my phone for it. Any identification on that??

    Reply to Todd
  • Jonathan Cruz 11 years ago

    It was around at 6:07 pm, I made it home at Rancho Mirage at the bus stop. The light came out of nowhere at the sky and it is amazing that I ever saw. All my neighbors saw it too and we’ve have witness the great fireball at the sky. This is so cool and awesome. I hope I want see it again to take a video.

    Reply to Jonathan
    • amsadmin 11 years ago

      Jonathan and All,

      The unusual light show observed last night from California and outlying
      areas was the unannounced launch of an unarmed Trident II (D5) submarine
      launched ballistic missile. The Trident was launched off of the southern
      California coast by the submarine USS Kentucky.

      The interesting display was caused by the missile’s exhaust plume being
      illuminated at high altitude by the Sun’s rays after the sun had set for
      observers on the ground.

      Trident launches occur off of the California coast from time to time.
      However, the Navy does not announce in advance that a launch is scheduled.

      Quoted from “Launch Alert” notices

      Reply to amsadmin
  • Peter 11 years ago

    I saw it from the Santa Ynez Valley, It had a large green plume that later changed to white (ish) it appear to travel traveling West with a touch of North. I watched it for a few minutes and the slowed disappeared out over the Pacific ocean. I have never seen something like this – fantastic!!

    Reply to Peter
    • amsadmin 11 years ago

      Peter and All,

      Yours was not the fireball that occurred over Southern California on November 6th. Rather it was an unannounced Navy missile test that occurred on the following evening. See below…

      Robert Lunsford

      Reply to amsadmin
  • Lyn Kaveney 11 years ago

    I just saw a large “fireball” in the eastern sky drop from straight up to straight down from Aliso Viejo, CA…. What was this?

    Reply to Lyn
    • Robert Lunsford 11 years ago

      Lyn and All,

      A fireball is just a meteor that is larger and brighter than normal. These occur every day all over the world. Most of them are missed because they occur during the day or are obscured by clouds. Even when the sky is clear people are usually out at night only during the times following dusk and preceding dawn. Even if you are outside under a clear sky you need to be facing the right direction or you will miss it. Fireballs rarely last more than a few seconds so for these reasons this makes each one seen a rarity on a personal level. One can increase their chances of seeing another fireball by viewing during one of the major annual showers. The next one is predicted to occur on the night of December 13/14, 2017.

      I hope this helps!

      Robert Lusnford

      Reply to Robert
    • Barb 11 years ago

      Hi Lyn. I am on ancestry.com. If you email me at: tourist51@comcast.com I will send you the email of a relative of yours who wants to get in touch with you regarding a relative of yours. Please respond if you can to my email address rather than here if you would. Thanks….
      Barb

      Reply to Barb
  • ray biris 11 years ago

    5 years ago driving down ramon rd around 5:pm heading towards palm springs this great ball of fire came over the mt heading towards rancho mirage it was yellow and orange with afire tail i watched it for about 5 seconds then it split and was gone it was amazing to see i am sorry every one didnt get to see it

    Reply to ray

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