California’s skies have recently seen a surge in bright meteor activity, with multiple fireballs reported within just a few days. The latest incident happened on March 23 when a vivid green fireball streaked across Northern California, marking the third major meteor event observed in the region in less than a week.
The event drew significant attention, with over 200 eyewitness reports submitted to the American Meteor Society (AMS) from across California, Nevada, and Arizona. According to AMS, the meteor was first seen about 49 miles above the Chowchilla in California. It then tore through the sky at 35000 mph, traveling 58 miles before finally breaking apart roughly 29 miles above Colfax.
Similar sightings in Texas and Pittsburgh
In Texas on March 21, 2026, NASA data shows that a meteor became visible about 49 miles above Stagecoach, northwest of Houston on Saturday, travelling at roughly the same speed as the California fireball.
On March 17, 2026, a fireball lit up the skies over Pittsburgh, appearing almost like a missile shooting through the atmosphere. It was first spotted over Lake Erie, moving at around 40,000 mph, and travelled over 34 miles before breaking apart.
Are these events connected?
However, both the Pittsburgh and Houston meteors produced loud booms.
But despite the unusual cluster of sightings within such a short window, scientists say there is likely no cosmic link between them.
According to Geo TV, Mike Hanker, operations manager of AMS said that, “Typically, they would be considered random events.”
NASA confirmed that the most recent California meteor had a different radiant and speed compared to the earlier ones, meaning they came from completely different directions in space and are unrelated to one another.
What causes these fireballs?
According to NASA, meteors are small pieces of rock and ice that break off from comets or asteroids as they orbit the sun. When Earth passes through these debris fields, especially during periods of increased activity in February and March, these fragments enter the atmosphere at very high speeds, sometimes exceeding 35000 mph.
When these space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, they rub against the air and heat up very quickly. This makes them glow brightly and create the streaks of light we see as fireballs. If a piece of the rock survives the fall and reaches the ground then it is called a meteorite.
