California Large Green Meteor Fireball 5APR2011

Riverside, California ~8:20pm 5APR2011
I was headed west bound on the 91 Frwy in Riverside, near Adams St., about 8:20 PM tonight (4/5/2011) when a meteor was right in front of us - largest one, including a long tail, that I have seen in my 63 years of living.  -Lyle

San Diego, CA

My daughter and I saw the biggest meteor we've ever seen tonight! We thought it might be a Roman candle since the Padres won today, but I don't think so because we didn't hear any sound or see any other fireworks of any kind. It was a big bright green streak going nearly straight down, but then just as it was fading out, it seemed to fragment and burn brighter again! It lasted at least 2-3 seconds and was very cool! By the way, this big, green fireball we saw in San Diego was at about 8:15 p.m. Pacific Time.

Julie Armitage

Los Angeles 

I was driving on the 134 freeway before hopping on the 2 freeway and looking at the skyscrapers in Los Angeles and saw the same greenish blue object coming from east to west though. It seemed like it was burning up fast in the atmosphere and could of landed in Glendale somewhere. I have never seen anything come into the atmosphere that bright before.  There were no stars in the sky and have never seen anything like that in the sky at only 8 Pm.  It wasn't completely dark outside so the colors it omitted were incredible and nothing like a shooting star.   I have heard nothing on the news also and very interested in it.  Have you ever seen them come into the atmosphere like that and so close??? From what i remember when seeing meteor showers and shooting starts they were high above and going over, and never coming at earth. 
- Jordan

Diamond Bar, California

Date/Time – April 5, 2011 8:20 PM

your location when viewed (city, country) – Diamond Bar, California

location in sky for the start and end of the meteor with angle from the horizon for the

start and end) - about South West going down sideways.. To the right of the moon

direction you were facing and meteor was moving right or left? – To the right

color(s) – Very green!!

meteor direction of travel – 90 degrees down closer towards earth's ground.. Kinda like this ---->> \ <<---

duration (secs) – I saw only about 1 second.. but I heard from twitter that it lasted about 5 seconds.. LUCKY!

brightness (bright as Venus, Moon, Sun?) – I think it was about as bright as how green fire would look.. not blinding at all.. but a very nice toned green not dark nor light

any sounds (sizzle or booms) – I was in the suv on the freeway so i didn't hear it at all... not sure if it made any noise or not..

fragmentation were pieces falling off ? – Not that I could see

and other comments that you think are important – it looked about 3 or 2/4ths the size of how the moon looked this day... so maybe a little smaller than a quarter of you put it out in front of you..

Ronnie

San Luis Obispo, CA

just driving back home at 8pm and saw a green meteor going down west ward, in san luis obispo county, looking south from templeton i saw the meteor going west beyond the mountains toward morro bay or avila beach
Emanuele Fiorentini


southern California. At approx. 8:20 PM PST

Hi, i am in southern California. At approx. 8:20 PM PST, i saw a green looking meteor come down in the south-west horizon. It was the weirdest thing i ever saw. My girlfriend searched for info and got your site. I'm glad it explained the strange color. -kalene haven


Santa Barbara, CA ~8:00pm

I was riding my bicycle westbound at Santa Barbara and was at West Beach when I saw it.
The meteor was very bright, colorful (I remember some green and possibly some red), long, wide, and with a tail that stayed bright longer than I would have expected.
Its direction was East to West.
I initially thought it was a firework, except that it was too big and too high to be a firework.
Then I saw the other posts from places far away from here, which most definitely make it something else...
Sal.



San Marino, CA
I was traveling westbound through San Marino when I saw a green ball of light falling into the western horizon. It looked like the light that a helicopter has on it's bottom. I thought the helicopter was going to crash land. Then i realized it wasn't a helicopter but rather a meteor. There was no tail but it was very bright. I thought that due to its size, it's going to strike the Earth for sure. It happened after 8:00 on a Tuesday. - Albert Valdes

San Clemente, CA
I was sitting in the car with my boyfriend at about 8PM last night, in at North beach in San Clemente CA. We were sitting right behind the train tracks and I saw it (what looked like) falling into the ocean. It was bright white, and then all of a sudden an orange/blue tail appeared on it as it turned green and disappeared before it hit the ocean's horizon. It was moving to the right at about a 50 degree angle. It was the most amazing thing I've seen in my life. Never seen a green meteor before. - Buttons

South Gate, CA

I spotted the meteor that happened tonight april 5th 2011, it was around 8:20 pm , i was in south gate,CA It was VERY bright, a bluish greenish color with a very long tail but turned a red/orange color just before it faded away. It was headed downward from east to west at a very high speed and looked like it landed somewhere in the ocean. - Tony Martinez

Ontario Airport, California roughly 8:30pm

I saw something greenish/white hurtling through the sky toward the ground above Ontario Airport (California).April 5 - roughly 8:30pm. I was almost afraid it was a plane crashing but there was no explosion and it phased out before it seemed to hit the ground.Someone else at the airport had to have seen it too, there were planes on approach. -Grey Rzeznik

San Diego, CA
I saw it as I was jogging west in Adams ave and Park ave in SD Just after 8pm. It seemed close like it was shooting straight for downtown or the bay but was most likely farther out in the ocean. It was a very green bright streak at, from my point of view, a downward direction. No "fireball", more like a green laser beam. I'd say 80 degrees northward. I looked upward from it and there was Orion. The moon's Nothing in the news yet, of course. However 2.5 earthquake in exact area 3hrs later? Biggest thing I've ever seen in the sky. -Anon.


Cabazon, CA
On April 5, 2011 while driving West on the I-10 FWY from Palm Springs, CA to Los Angeles, CA (near Cabazon) I saw a green colored "shooting star" although my limited knowledge on astrology pretty much knew it was bigger and something more profound then a shooting star. It was really bright, green and a lot thicker than a shooting star. It was south of us over the mountain top and moved right and dropped south like it landed in the mountain, it was several feet in length...but possible burned off before it reached ground. It lasted only seconds; crazy that my husband and I both saw it together. Too far from us for any sound.
Feel free to ask any additional questions...
Rhonda Coombs


Long Beach, CA
Fireball sighting - 4/5/11- 8:15pm (PST) - Long Beach, CA
At apprx. 8:15pm (PST), I saw what appeared to be a fireball, bluish green in color spanning across the sky, downward, NE to SW direction... Facing in a SW direction, meteor started at 11 o'clock and ended at 3:30, if that makes any sense... Thank you!!!! - Jason

Acton, CA

Donald Vernon Barker: Green/yellow meteor. Seen from Acton looking west towards L.A. Green/yellow meteor. Seen from Acton looking west towards L.A. 8:15 p.m.Apr 6 2011, 12:34 PMDonald Vernon Barker: Green/yellow meteor. Seen from Acton looking west towards L.A. 8:15 p.m.


Canyon Country (Santa Clarita), California
Date/Time –April 5, 2011 about 8:20 p.m.
your location when viewed (city, country) – Canyon Country (Santa Clarita), California
location in sky for the start and end of the meteor with angle from the horizon for the
start and end) – From northeast to southwest
direction you were facing and meteor was moving right or left? – facing south came from my left
color(s) –white
meteor direction of travel – south, southwest
duration (secs) – 5 seconds
brightness (bright as Venus, Moon, Sun?) – brighter than the moon
any sounds (sizzle or booms) – no
fragmentation were pieces falling off ? – no, had a long tail
Jennifer Moss

SoCal

Saw it in Long Beach... Definite flare/explosion as it neared the horizon.. tail lingered for seconds... One of the most impressive meteors I've seen...
- Patrick Gough

L.A.

That was the most incedible thing I have ever seen over the skies of L.A. and I have lived here for all of my 32 years. Bright green fireball, it was almost like a green haze as it streaked across the sky. I was SW bound on Fletcher in Atwater Village and it came across at a diagonal(east to west) to me. Large flash as it entered and then the green followed by it breaking up with a final white/red flash as it dipped behind the horizon of the hollywood hills. AMAZING! why so green?....

 - Anon.

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Guest521 (guest):Green meteor over LA 8:15PM 5APRIL2011

Guest920 (guest): red meteor. was close enough that i could could see it burning.south los angeles. 8:15pm

Guest595 (guest): I am in Corona Ca,saw a green meteor looking object traveling downward from East to West at approximately 8:15pm or so.

Guest854 (guest): Los Angeles, April 05 around 8:20 PM PST. Greenish blue ball and streak for only 2 seconds. Saw it looking SSW from Chatsworth CA from,N34 14.626 W118 36.519 - VERY low on the horizon.Looks like a few others saw this one too. Cool!

claired213: East Hollywood Los Angeles, CA April 05 2011 8:15pm I saw a large green ball with a tail as I traveled SW on Hyperion at Fountain. About 30 degrees on horizon.Lasted 2 seconds,about the size of a dime held at arms length. Amazing!

Guest852 (guest): We saw the same green meteor about 30° above the horizon heading east to west at about 8:15 in San Luis Obispo, CA.Must have been the same one others have seen in Southern CA.


Thank you all for your reports!
If Anyone else saw a meteor please email LunarMeteoriteHunter@gmail.com   Thank you!


(cut and paste into email with your answers; thanks)

Date/Time –

your location when viewed (city, country) – 

location in sky for the start and end of the meteor with angle from the horizon for the

start and end) - 

direction you were facing and meteor was moving right or left? – 

color(s) –

meteor direction of travel – 

duration (secs) – 

brightness (bright as Venus, Moon, Sun?) – 

any sounds (sizzle or booms) – 

fragmentation were pieces falling off ? – 

and other comments that you think are important – 

Your Name and contact information (contact information will remain confidential)