Fireball sighted 250 miles west of San Francisco

Summary

On October 7, 1960, a luminous object was spotted 250 miles west of San Francisco, California. An aircraft reported seeing a fireball the size of a soft ball, much larger than an ordinary meteor. The object was descending with a glowing tail composed mainly of particles breaking off the main body. Although initially considered a balloon or aircraft, analysis suggested it was a bolide, a particularly bright type of meteor. Several aircraft and ground observers reported similar phenomena in the same area and time, indicating a significant astronomical event.