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Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies

Fireball Over Phoenix!

A bright fireball was witnessed by several Valley of the Sun residents in the early morning hours of June 2nd, 2016.  Reports describe a bright flash of light around 4 AM, and some were awakened by a loud bang.

According to Center Meteorite Curator Laurence Garvie, this could be a single meteor burning up as it entered the Earth's atmosphere, and radar footage shows that meteorites may have fallen to the ground early Thursday morning near the eastern Arizona community of Cibecue.

Meteor: A trail of light produced by a meteoroid as it passes through an atmosphere.
Meteorite: A meteoroid that was naturally transported from the celestial body on which it formed to a region beyond that body's gravitational field, and that later collided with the surface of a celestial body larger than itself, such as Earth. (Rubin & Grossman, 2010.)