Strategic Command details mysterious light across the night sky
UPDATE:
AP- A Chinese rocket re-entered the atmosphere near California late Wednesday night around the same time many people shared video on social media of a mysterious bright object streaking across the night sky.
U.S. Strategic Command spokeswoman Julie Ziegenhorn wouldn’t say if the rocket ever posed danger to people on the ground. She says the command often sees re-entries.
Ziegenhorn tells The Associated Press the Chinese CZ-7 rocket re-entered the atmosphere around 11:36 p.m. Central time. That’s about the same time social media lit up with reports from Nevada, Utah and California of a small fireball streaking across the sky.
Ziegenhorn referred all other questions about the rocket to Chinese authorities
Officials from Nellis Air Force Base in southern Nevada had earlier told KTNV-TV the light was a meteor breaking up.
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UPDATE: 12:05 a.m. – The director of the Griffith Observatory believes the streak of light seen in the Southland sky Wednesday night, was caused by the Delta Aquarids Meteor shower.
However, The National Weather Service believes it was a space junk re-entering the atmosphere. While a Harvard University Astronomer says it was the second stage of a Chinese rocket coming back to earth again.
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Viewers called in to the KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 newsrooms just before 10:00 p.m. Wednesday describing bright streaks of light in the skies in the direction of Twentynine Palms.
We now know it was a meteor breaking up in the sky over Lake Havasu.
People saw the bright lights here in Southern California, in Northern California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada.
Originally, we reported people were seeing meteor showers scheduled to take place in the span of the next couple of days.
The Delta Aquarids, peak this week. In fact, the brightest streaks of light won’t even cross our skies until Thursday and Friday.
Did you see the meteor tonight? What did it look like? Share your photos and video on our Facebook pages. CBS Local 2 and KESQ.
