California Fireball: Meteorite Streaks Across US Skies a Day After Russia Meteor (VIDEO)
A fireball was seen streaking across the night sky in northern California Friday night, a day after several hundred people were reported injured after a meteorite exploded over rural Siberia.
The bright flash was seen over Santa Rosa, Calif., around 7:45 p.m. and appeared to be disintegrating as it plummeted towards Earth. The fireball was seen as far south as San Jose.
There were no initial reports of property damage or injuries as experts explained that the space rock broke into tiny fragments before vaporizing in Earth's atmosphere.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The event was described as a "sporadic meteor" by astronomer Gerald McKeegan who added that these types of events happen on a daily basis and can add up to 15,000 tons of debris each year on Earth, as reported by WSLT.
The news came a day after a meteorite streaked across the sky over Russia, producing a sonic boom that shattered glass and collapsed roofs. The unexpected occurrence resulted in more than 1,000 reports of injuries in rural Siberia.
Researchers have stated that preliminary findings indicate the space rock weighed around 10 tons and descended over Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday.
The meteor entered the Earth's atmosphere near the area of Chelyabinsk and was traveling at more than 33,0000 mph before disintegrating in the lower stratosphere, about 25 miles up, according to a statement released by The Russian Academy of Sciences.
"There was panic. People had no idea what was happening. Everyone was going around to people's houses to check if they were OK," Sergey Hametov told the Associated Press in a phone interview.
"We saw a big burst of light then went outside to see what it was and we heard a really loud thundering sound," he added.
The subsequent sonic boom resulted from the meteor exploding due to the rapid change in atmospheric pressure and it caused more than 1,000 people to seek treatment from injuries, the Emergency Ministry revealed. Many had suffered cuts and bruises from shattering glass or other small objects being disturbed by the sound wave.
