The American Meteor Society has received reports of a bright fireball meteor being seen over much of the southwest United States at about 4.00 am local time on Thursday 2 June 2016 (about 11.00 am GMT).
The fireball was seen across Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, California, Texas, Colorado and Nevada, though the majority of sightings came from Arizona. A fireball is defined as a meteor
(shooting star) brighter than the
planet Venus. These are typically caused by pieces of rock burning up in
the atmosphere, but can be the result of man-made space-junk burning up
on re-entry.
The 2 June 2016 Arizona meteor seen from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. Fox 10.
Objects of this size probably enter the Earth's atmosphere several times
a year, though unless they do so over populated areas they are unlikely
to be noticed. They are officially described as fireballs if they
produce a light brighter than the planet Venus. It is possible that this object will have produced meteorites that reached
the surface (an object visible in the sky is a meteor, a rock that falls
from the sky and can be physically held and examined is a meteorite).
Witness reports can help astronomers to understand these events. If you
witnessed this fireball you can report it to the American Meteor Society here.
See also...
Bright fireball meteor seen over Southern California. The American Meteor Society has received reports of a bright fireball meteor being seen over much of
southern California slightly at about 9.30 pm local time on Monday 23 April 2016 (about 4.30 am on Tuesday 24 April...
Bright 'fireball' meteor seen over much of New Zealand. Witnesses have reported seeing a bright fireball type meteor over much
of New Zealand at about 9.00 pm local time on Tuesday 5 April 2016. The
meteor...
Bright 'fireball' meteor seen over much of England. The UK Meteor Observation Network
has recieved roports of a bright fireball meteor being seen over much
of southern England slightly after 3.15 am GMT...
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