The skies over Northern and Central California lit up around 5:10 p.m. on Saturday, November 7. It was likely part of a meteor shower, experts said. Witnesses described it as a big white fireball.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, it was part of the annual Taurids meteor showers which peak between November 5-12.
Bing Quock with San Francisco's Morrison Planetarium told KCBS radio that based on witnesses' descriptions, the object was likely between the size of a baseball or soccer ball and may have disintegrated before it hit the earth.
The YouTube vdeo below that shows some of the contrails vapor left behind by the fireball.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel reports that the fireball prompted a number of 911 calls.
Fox 40 reports that the fireball caused a big stir in the Sacramento area.
The fireball prompted reports that a plane had crashed in Yolo County, the Daily Democrat reports.