Arizona got an unexpected light show early Tuesday morning when a bright green fireball streaked across the sky.
The meteor was captured on a webcam in Dragoon, southeast of Tucson, at about 1:03 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The video shows the bright object racing across the sky before appearing to flare as it traveled through Earth's atmosphere and then disintegrate near the horizon.
The green glow made the fireball especially striking. That color can happen when certain elements in the space rock, such as magnesium, become excited as the object heats up while entering the atmosphere.
Video from a webcam in Dragoon AZ, southeast of Tucson, it enters the frame at 1:03:43 am, from https://t.co/G1N8Riy7Pp pic.twitter.com/jLvSkM72Oa
— rbmichae80 (@rbmichae80) October 6, 2026
Meteors occur when
pieces of space rock, called meteoroids, enter Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds. The friction and compression of the air heat the object, creating the bright streak we see from the ground.
Most of these objects burn up or break apart high in the atmosphere. If a piece survives and reaches the ground, it's called a meteorite.
2 meteor showers currently active in Arizona
The fireball that was captured could be part of two meteor showers that are currently active: the Orionids, which peaks on Oct 21–22, and Southern Taurids, which peaks on Nov. 4–5.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Did you see the bright green fireball? Meteor lights up Arizona sky
