Local Stories by Local People
updated: Jan 20, 2009, 12:00 AM

Blue Fireball

I scanned your newsletter eagerly this morning looking for any other report of the comet/asteroid/meteor that was witnessed by my friend Sunday evening at sunset (I had my back turned). We were at Chase Palm Park packing up after a day of the arts and crafts show when my friend said she saw what she thought was a bottle rocket or home-made firework in the eastern sky.

I didn't think much of it until my mother, who had spent the day with us, called and reported that on her drive home she saw something like a blue fireball with a tail shoot across the eastern sky, moving from 11 o'clock to 4 o'clock. She was on the 101 in La Conchita at the time. Haven't seen any local or national news on the "event". Anyone know or hear anything about this?

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Comments In Order Of When They Were Received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 19626	2009-01-19 12:48 PM
Hi, Thank God someone else saw this. I was at a barbeque in Sherman Oaks when I saw this huge white/blue fireball streak across the lower eastern sky. It had a fat long tail as well and travelled faster than a jet. I expected to feel an explosion of some kind as I thought it would impact the earth. I've never seen anything like it really - especially during daylight.
COMMENT 19637	2009-01-19 06:22 PM
I saw it too as I was driving down Milpas. It looked like an object entering the earth's atmosphere and breaking up. I would guess it was a meteor. I did a quick google search and found this: http://transientsky.wordpress.com/
HOLAZOLA	2009-01-20 07:55 AM
That was awesome! I was up on the San Marcos Preserve, and luckily facing the right way when this one shot across the sky!
FRESHIE	2009-01-20 08:51 AM
I saw this too, when we were driving south on 101 just around Fairview. It was really striking-- a bright, hot bluish white. I thought it was a firework and it made me jump because I expected it to hit the road. No one else in my family saw it. I'm glad I'm not crazy!
COMMENT 19685	2009-01-20 11:29 AM
My neighbor saw this too and was trying his damndest to stress how close it must have come to destroying Goleta.
COMMENT 19686	2009-01-20 11:35 AM
I saw it while lookin east from the Gaviota Coast. It was an amazing sight!
MOARTS51	2009-01-20 12:42 PM
Thanks to Axman for posting the link - coolest capture of the meteor. It was years ago, but I saw something similar on the 101 going south in Ventura - near Main St. And it was a green glowing object that traveled E-W, my son was with me and witnessed it as well or I might have thought I was hallucinating. these stellar moments are always magical. and when you see one, you never forget it.
COMMENT 19690	2009-01-20 02:50 PM
Seriously cool! My 4 year old mentioned a "spaceship" saturday eve around dinner time, so I got goosebumps when I read all about all the meteor sightings ...guess there were sightings both saturday and sunday from what the link said?
KNITALIFE	2009-01-20 03:23 PM
I was out at the field at La Cumbre Jr. High with my neighbor and our dogs and we both saw it. It looked like a shooting star, only it seemed way too huge to be a shooting star and it was not dark enough to see any other stars out. We thought maybe it was some kind of flare. I expected to hear a pop or a boom, but nothing. I had forgotten all about it until I saw this.
YVES	2009-01-20 04:13 PM
I saw it too. I was facing east at the traffic light at the corner of Calle Real and N. Kellogg. It definitely had more sparks coming off to the sides than most meteors.