NUFORC Sighting 43934

Occurred: 2005-05-13 00:30 Local
Reported: 2005-05-13 02:12 Pacific
Duration: 7-8 seconds
No of observers: 2

Location: Vista, CA, USA

Shape: Fireball
Characteristics: Left a trail, Emitted other objects

Red/Gold streaking light w/ sparking trail flies North to South in straight line over Vista, Ca. (Shadowridge)

My roommate and I left our apartment and went out to our car when I noticed movement in the sky almost directly above and in front of us as we walked East through the parking lot.

When I looked up, I expected to see the lights of a plane coming in to land at Palomar airport, turning on it's landing lights and making it's banked turn West. Instead, I spotted a very bright red/gold light with a long streaking tail. The second I saw that, I reacted by jabbing my friend's shoulder to get his attention. I pointed up to it. It reached directly overhead when he spotted it.

It continued streaking across the sky, running North to South, and the tail even started to spark. Then it faded and went out of sight to the South. We both believe that this was a meteorite or a piece of space debris falling back to Earth. It appeared very low, lasted much longer than I've ever seen, and was really bright. If it was just a meteorite, it was a fairly bright one and still a spectacular sight for anyone who may have caught this one. I wouldn't be surprised if one or two more local reports come in on this tonight.

Posted 2005-05-24

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