Bright meteor fireball lights up sky over Pittsburgh, Houston, CA – What causes repeated impacts?

The event attracted widespread attention, with more than 200 eyewitness reports from California, Nevada and Arizona submitted to the American Meteor Society (AMS). The meteor was first spotted about 49 miles above Chowchilla, California, according to AMS. It then hurtled through the sky at 35,000 mph and traveled 58 miles before breaking apart about 29 miles above Colfax.

March 17, 2026, A fireball lit up the sky above Pittsburgh, looking almost like a missile hurtling through the atmosphere. It was initially spotted over Lake Erie, traveling at approximately 40,000 mph and traveling 34 miles before breaking up.

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Despite the unusual series of sightings in such a short period of time, scientists say there may not be a cosmic connection between them.

According to Geo TV“Typically, they would be viewed as random events,” said Mike Hanker, AMS operations manager.

NASA confirmed that the recent California meteors had different emissions and speeds than previous meteors, meaning they came from completely different directions in space and were unrelated to each other.

When these space rocks enter Earth’s atmosphere, they rub against the air and heat up rapidly. This causes them to glow brightly and produce the fireball-like streaks of light we see. If a rock survives a fall and reaches the ground, it is called a meteorite.