NUFORC Sighting 53355

Occurred: 2006-11-07 23:30 Local - Approximate
Reported: 2006-11-10 22:11 Pacific
Duration: 1-3 seconds
No of observers: 1

Location: Goleta, CA, USA

Shape: Other

blue and green "burning object" - looked like a meteor, only (from my experience of meteors) too low, too slow and blue green,

Hi, Thanks for this service. I believe this may be an explainable event, however, I do not understand it. Above you use the word "craft", which does not apply (that I know, anyway). About 11:30 pm, I was riding my bike on a bike path and saw a blue and green glowing (as on fire, except it was blue green) "patch" or object streak at a low angle. Let me try to describe it another way. I would have thought it was a meteor, and in many ways it acted like a meteor, except for the following : 1) The "appearance" or Burn started relatively low in the sky. I do not understand, if it was a meteor why it would be so low before it looked like it began to "burn". 2) I know it was low in the sky, because the mountains here rise rather abruptly in this area. I was at sea level, and the mountains aer several thousand feet north of where I was - in front of where I was. I had my bike helmet on, thus further obstructing the amount of overhead sky I could have seen. The object "appeared" - began to "burn" suddenly, as though it was just entering the atmosphere. I hope this makes sense. However, the thing is, this occurred so low - it didn't make sense to me. Also, the color - definitely blue and green. At first I thought "it must be like I've heard of frozen ice falling out of airplans" because this area where I was biking is near the airport and near the flight path. 2) I went back the next night to the same spot to recreate what I would have been able to see from where I was riding, given my helmet, given the mountains, etc. 3) Also, perhaps meteors do this, I don't know...but it was at almost a horizontal path. It was on a downward slope, but not a steep one, if this makes sense. Also it was definitely between me and the mounts, for example. I know this for sure. It seemed close. 4) Of course, something so unexpected, when time goes by, it's like you wish you could just rewind time so you could take better notes. and also 5) it seemed a little too slow to be a meteor, especially one tha! t low.

I mean, it happened quickly, in some ways, and yet, given how close it seemed, it seems to me if it was a meteor, it should have been moving faster.

NUFORC Note:

Witness indicates that the date of the event is approximate. PD

Posted 2006-12-07