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The “mysterious” fireball that was seen in the skies over Phoenix last night probably was just a meteor, according to NASA scientists.
The strange flash happened about 7:40 p.m. and was seen as far away as Los Angeles.
If you missed it, we tracked down some video of the flash, which you can see below.
It was suggested in several news reports that the object could be a satellite falling out of orbit. However, the Associated Press spoke with NASA scientists who say that theory is unlikely.
From the AP:
NASA Near-Earth Object Program manager Don Yeomans said he was convinced it was a fireball — a fragment of an asteroid the size of a baseball or basketball that hit the atmosphere and disintegrated before reaching the ground.
He says it’s unusual for an object of that size to be seen over populated areas.
Yeomans ruled out a dead spacecraft falling back to Earth because such events can be predicted ahead of time.
The Phoenix Police Department’s Air Unit, as well as several officers, saw the flash when it happened. We spoke to Sergeant Steve Martos last night. He gives the following account:
We received four calls (total) regarding the light in the sky. Our
air unit, myself, and other officers also observed it as well. We all
made our wishes and went back to work. Nothing more to report…
Nothin’ to see here, folks.
