I just saw a video from a friend here in California and thought: What on Earth was that glowing thing in the sky? Whether you live here or just heard the buzz, there’s been lots of talk lately about “what was in the sky over California.” Let’s dig into what’s going on — and what’s probably happening.
Strange Lights, Fireballs & Bolts: What’s Being Reported
People across Northern California and the Bay Area have been posting photos and videos lately of unexpected sky shows.
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Over the Bay Area, hundreds of lightning bolts lit up the night in a very rare display.
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In Santa Barbara County, reports say up to 54 lightning strikes occurred in just one hour, turning the night sky dramatic.
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On a local Facebook group around Redding (Shasta County), a user shared seeing a bright streak flash across the daytime sky — likely a meteor or space debris.
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On Reddit, someone described a “fireball” over Northern California. The American Meteor Society later noted it was likely space debris from a past SpaceX mission.
So, what might all these be?
How to Make Sense of It All
Meteor or Fireball
These are bits of rock or metal entering Earth’s atmosphere, burning up, and often making a bright streak of light. Sometimes they explode.
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Meteors are common during known meteor showers
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Fireballs are simply very bright meteors
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Space agencies also track reentry debris — parts of old satellites or rockets coming back to Earth
Reentry Debris from Space Missions
Old satellites, spent rocket stages, or discarded gear sometimes reenter Earth’s atmosphere. When they do, they often break apart and glow as they burn.
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The incident on Reddit was thought to be from a SpaceX mission’s debris.
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Experts often caution that large reentry events are rare but visible when they happen
Thunderstorms & Lightning Shows
Sometimes what people think is “something alien” is simply atmospheric drama. California rarely sees intense lightning in some regions, so when it happens it feels surreal.
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The Bay Area saw an unusually active lightning night.
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In Santa Barbara, storms and lightning “illuminated” the sky in a memorable way.
Optical & Illusion Effects
Light scattering, clouds, reflections, or high-altitude exhaust plumes can create strange shapes or glowing effects in the sky.
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There is a phenomenon called space jellyfish — where rocket exhaust lit by sunlight at high altitudes looks like a glowing jellyfish.
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Sometimes people report seeing unidentified flying objects or lights — but many of these are just ordinary things seen in odd lighting
Interesting Facts You Might Not Know
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Lightning is rare in San Francisco — the city averages less than one strike per square mile per year.
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CAMS (Cameras for All-Sky Meteor Surveillance) is a project based in California that monitors meteors and helps catalog showers worldwide.
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Space junk reentries are more common than most realize, but most burn up completely before reaching the ground
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“Space jellyfish” effects often occur near dawn or dusk when rocket plumes are still sunlit above while the ground is in shadow
My Take (From Me to You)
I think part of why so many of us are looking up right now is that these events are reminders: the sky is still full of surprises. A bright streak or flash makes you pause. And often what starts as something mysterious turns out to be something scientific — but that doesn’t make it any less magical.
I’ve been outside late at night recently, just watching the sky, camera ready — hoping to catch one of these rare shows myself.
To wrap up, folks are seeing lightning, meteors or fireballs, and possibly space debris reentries — all contributing to the buzz about what was in the sky over California. Each kind of event has a solid explanation, but the mystery is part of the fun.
Have you seen something odd up there? Tell me what it looked like — I’d love to hear your sky story.