California meteor sighting becomes third in one week across US

CHOWCHILLA, Calif. — Skywatchers across the US witnessed a third meteor streaking across the sky within a week’s span.

According to the American Meteor Society, well over 200 eyewitnesses across California, Nevada and Arizona reported seeing a fireball hurl through the night sky on Sunday.

The meteor was first spotted 49 miles above Chowchilla, California, moving south at 35,000 mph, and traveling 58 miles before disintegrating above Colfax at about 29 miles in the sky.

This comes after eyewitnesses in both Houston and Pittsburgh also observed a fiery space rock hurling through the sky this week.

According to NASA, data indicates one of the objects became visible about 49 miles above Stagecoach, Texas, on Saturday, northwest of Houston, traveling at around the same speed as the meteor observed in the west on Sunday.

The meteor spotted streaking across the Pittsburgh morning sky early on Tuesday looked almost like a missile shooting through the atmosphere.

The fireball was initially observed over Lake Erie, moving at about 40,000 mph before traveling over 34 miles and breaking apart, according to NASA.

Both meteors spotted in the Pittsburgh and Houston areas produced loud booms.

Neither of the prior meteor events is related to the latest fireball streaking across California this weekend. NASA notes that the meteor that the most recent meteor had a different radiant and speed.

According to NASA, meteors are bits of rocks and ice ejected from comets as they move in their orbits around the sun. A meteor that reaches the ground is called a meteorite.

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