Flashy Meteor Streaks Through Southland Skies
A meteor streaked across the Southern California skies Tuesday night, flashing colors of orange and green, and spurring enough calls to authorities to jam phone lines from San Luis Obispo to Tijuana, officials said.
Hundreds of people called Los Angeles’ Griffith Park Observatory, particularly from the Ventura County area, saying that a green or orange object was moving through the sky in various directions, said observatory assistant Nicholas Read.
The flashing light, lasting for several minutes, was reported in San Diego County about 7:55 p.m., where it was seen from Glorietta Bay in south San Diego to Carlsbad about 37 miles north, said Coast Guard spokesman William Driscoll.
“Our Coast Guard helicopter first spotted (the flashing), and I guess everyone else did too,” said Driscoll, adding that he fielded more than 30 telephone calls from people wanting to know what it was. “I’ve never been so busy.”
The Coast Guard said the meteor appeared to be moving in a southerly direction. Read added that meteor showers had been frequent for the past month.
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