Meteor Trail Over Lake Tahoe
A brilliant fireball lit up the skies over California on Dec. 19, 2018, and left a spectacular, wind-twisted trail behind it. See photos here and read an eyewitness report by Space.com's Mike Wall!
In this photo, he dazzling meteor is seen in a photo by David Smoyer from the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe.
Reflection in Still Waters
The meteor trail's reflection in Lake Tahoe shines in this stunning shot, also by David Smoyer.
Lit from Below
Though the sun had already set, the meteor trail was high enough up in the sky to still catch some rays.
An Unforgettable Sight
"I've been lucky enough to see a lot of meteors, and lots of bright fireballs, including dozens during the 2001 Leonid meteor storm outburst, but this was the brightest and most impressive I can recall," Smoyer told Space.com via email.
Fireball Over San Francisco
Ghia Jacobs captured this image of the fireball from San Francisco shortly after it blazed up, before it had developed its long and twisting tail.
Wind-Whipped Tail
High-altitude winds twisted the meteor's once-straight trail into a corkscrew shape, as this photo by Kevin Haas shows.
Meteor Trail San Francisco
The meteor's wind-twisted trail, seen from western San Francisco.
The View from Reno
Laura Lea Evans snapped this shot of the meteor from Reno, Nevada, on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Smoke Trail in the Sky
Adam Larson took this photo of the Bay Area fireball.
Fireball Seen from San Rafael
Mark O’Lone captured this view of the fireball's trail from San Rafael, just north of San Francisco.
Fireball Seen from Vandenberg AFB
Ryan Watamura saw the fireball from the vicinity of Vandenberg Air Force Base while waiting for the launch of the NROL-71 spy satellite. (The launch was scrubbed.)
