NUFORC Sighting 34347

Occurred: 2002-10-07 19:00 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2004-01-08 06:27 Pacific
Duration: 3 to 5 second
No of observers: 3

Location: Sky City, NM, USA

Shape: Fireball
Characteristics: Left a trail

Greenish and Orange fireball that lasted about 3 to 5 seconds and then exploded making a ring of fire.

Three of us had gone to Sky City on the Acoma Indian Reservation to fly our Powered Paragliders. The cloud system to the Southwest was dark and this was a strong indication of dangerous gusty conditions for flying PPG's. Our friend, decided to launch despite to weather conditions. He was sitting in the seat of his PPG and I was standing on the pilot's left. My other friend was standing on the pilot's right. As I was checking the pilot's riser connections I noticed a bright green light illuminating the clouds to the Norhtwest of where I was standing. I shouted, "Look at that...look at that...look at that!" My friend who was helping the pilot as well turned and first saw the fireball as it was passing through the second, but much smaller cloud system. I saw the green and orange fireball come out of the main cloud system from the Northwest as it travelled eastward and entered the second smaller cloud system and then the fireball exited the second cloud system. It was at this moment that the pilot turned and looked over his left shoulder as he sat in the PPG and saw the last moments of the fireball as it discintergrated with a final burst which created an orange and greenish ring. The fireball was falling at angle of approximately 5 degrees. The object covered an arch of about 45 degrees from the first moment I saw the fireball to the last moment before it exploded. The object was not moving as fast as the typical meteor, because I had time to say look at that three times and then a moment to watch the last stages of its destruction.

NUFORC Note:

Date is approximate. PD

Posted 2004-01-17