A bright streak of light seen soaring over California on Friday night left many people wondering about the cause of the phenomenon.
Video footage showed the fireball illuminating the sky as far north as Sacramento and as far south as Fresno.
According to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer with the Smithsonian, the fireball was caused by a piece of a satellite antenna from the International Space Station.
McDowell described the object as “space junk,” which has been orbiting the Earth’s atmosphere for several years.
While experts knew the debris would re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere, they did not know when or where it would land.
McDowell reassured the public that there was no danger, as the debris would break into very small pieces before hitting the ground.
He predicted that the pieces most likely landed near Yosemite National Park.
The incident generated a lot of interest on social media, with many people sharing the video of the fireball.
