<p>This is almost impossible.</p>
<p>A meteorite that has entered the atmosphere and survived the &quot;bright&quot; passage through the upper atmosphere will fall to Earth as a stone.  In doing so it will lose nearly all its sideways momentum and fall, being blown by high altitude winds.  By the time it reaches the Earth it will be falling down, and not shooting sideways.  A meteorite that was 50 ft above you, and falling, would fall into your garden, (or perhaps your neighbour's). So your description of a &quot;brown object moving at 200mph at 50 ft&quot; is not consistent with it being a meteorite.  (see an article about the <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/ac3df5" rel="nofollow noreferrer">dark flight of meteorites</a> for more).  I check to see if a meteor had been reported, but none had (of course meteors are more likely to be missed if they occur during the day)</p>
<p>A stone moving at 200mph horizontally and at 50ft will fall to Earth in about 1.7 seconds.  In that time it will travel about 500ft horizontally.  (But as I said, a meteorite would not be travelling horizontally)</p>
<p>Seeing a meteorite fall is <em>incredibly</em> rare.  If a meteorite fell in a suburb of LA, that would be news. I can find examples of reports of people seeing a fireball, and later the meteorite being found.  I can find reports of people hearing a &quot;crash&quot; and then finding a crater or impact. I can find no reports of people seeing a falling stone. It is possible that you are mistaken in some of your estimates of height and speed, but the exceptional evidence that would be needed to demonstrate that this was a meteorite is lacking.</p>
<p><sub>Naturally, if further evidence does come in, such as the observation of a meteor or the discovery of the meteorite, I'll update this answer</sub></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-10T19:52:58.367Z
Thanks and I defer to your expertise. I was explicit in saying it’s traveling horizontally and far as I can tell in the 1 to 2 seconds.
BobCleland
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-09T20:24:18.590Z
2023-11-12T00:26:35.767Z
2023-11-12T00:26:35.767Z
James K
<p>l saw a meteorite from my backyard at an elevation of about on 50ft on 11/6/23 at 4.30pm. It travelled from approx ENE to WSW in about 1-2 seconds. The object was traveling horizontally, not falling, for the period I saw it. It zipped by in a flash! It was mainly brown but looked blurry as though it was rotating at high speed, maybe due to its irregular shape(?). Just an assumption.
It also made a noise somewhat similar to a loud electric fan.
It travelled about 200yds (very approximately) and I calculated its speed between 200-400mph based on my 1-2 second observation.</p>
<p>I hope this links to my original report because my previous response somehow disappeared before I sent it.</p>
<p>Try to imagine an irregularly shaped brown rock rotating at high speed on its axis, traveling horizontally from my left to right, at my estimate of 200-400mph, at about 50ft above the ground (not sea level) over the 1-2 seconds that I was able to discern it. My field of view of the object was an estimated 200 yards (ie the visible distance it traveled before disappearing off to my right)</p>
<p>That’s what it looked like to me. I came to that conclusion based on the fact that the perimeter of the object seemed very blurred. I could not tell if it was descending in the short time I was able to process it.</p>
<p>The sound was loud, like a large fan to me, as you might imagine that a rotating irregularly shaped rock might make as it zipped through the air. Note that I have several hummingbirds in my back yard and I know what they sound like. Multiply their speed, sound and size by about 10 and  that might sound similar to the object.</p>
<p>At first I thought in terms of it being a UAP as I reported on Reddit, but after researching on line I thought it might be a meteorite, but after reading learned comments on Astronomy Stack Exchange i realized that was an probably incorrect assumption.</p>
<p>I’ve never taken drugs and am not given to flights of fancy, and would not waste my time or yours making things up.</p>
<p>In closing, I was totally focused on the object in that 1-2 seconds and when I look back now all I can visualize is its presence to the exclusion of its surroundings. So it’s a UAP again until I hear differently.</p>
<p>Do you think it was a meteorite based on my report?
Any estimates on how far away it would have impacted?
I live in zip code CA 93065.
What are the chances of this?</p>
<hr />
<p>I hope this links to my original report because my previous response somehow disappeared before I sent it.</p>
<p>Try to imagine an irregularly shaped brown rock rotating at high speed on its axis, traveling horizontally from my left to right, at my estimate of 200-400mph, at about 50ft above the ground (not sea level) over the 1-2 seconds that I was able to discern it. My field of view of the object was an estimated 200 yards (ie the visible distance it traveled before disappearing off to my right)</p>
<p>That’s what it looked like to me. I came to that conclusion based on the fact that the perimeter of the object seemed very blurred. I could not tell if it was descending in the short time I was able to process it.</p>
<p>The sound was loud, like a large fan to me, as you might imagine that a rotating irregularly shaped rock might make as it zipped through the air. Note that I have several hummingbirds in my back yard and I know what they sound like. Multiply their speed, sound and size by about 10 and  that might sound similar to the object.</p>
<p>At first I thought in terms of it being a UAP as I reported on Reddit, but after researching on line I thought it might be a meteorite, but after reading learned comments on Astronomy Stack Exchange i realized that was an probably incorrect assumption.</p>
<p>I’ve never taken drugs and am not given to flights of fancy, and would not waste my time or yours making things up.</p>
<p>In closing, I was totally focused on the object in that 1-2 seconds and when I look back now all I can visualize is its presence to the exclusion of its surroundings. So it’s a UAP again until I hear differently.</p>
<p>Comments appreciated</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-09T04:26:38.363Z
Anything bright enough to be seen in the daytime would normally make the news.  So, lack of reports elsewhere highly suggest it was something else.
Greg Miller
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-09T06:22:26.567Z
I think the OP is suggestin that he saw the actual meteorite at the end of its "dark flight", not the meteor. This would be enormously unlikely.
James K
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-09T08:51:36.080Z
Many countries have fireball detection networks and/or citizen science projects where people can report sighting a fireball. If you think you saw one, you can check those to see if there are other reports. See for instance answers here https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/51761/34513 and here https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/46684/34513
Jean-Marie Prival
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-09T15:46:21.363Z
Noise like "loud electric fan" and low estimated altitude both suggest a drone; lots of people flying them around these days and they get mistaken for other stuff all the time.
antlersoft
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-10T21:03:27.310Z
Or perhaps a hummingbird.
James K
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-11T04:45:26.527Z
That zip code is at an elevation of 500-1000 feet.
James K
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-11T22:30:13.550Z
I estimated it at 50ft above the ground not sea level. Without knowing my precise elevation above sea level I could not estimate its relative elevarion
BobCleland
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-12T23:07:31.443Z
Thanks for the responses! My son also suggested that it might be a drone. If my calculations are correct though, the speed of the object was 5 to 10 times faster than the average drone.
It did not look like any drone that I’ve seen.
It looked more like an orb, but I believe that may be because it appeared to be rotating on its axis. Ignoring the speed, if it was a brown drone tumbling/rotating through the air it might cause it to appear to be an orb, though I don’t see how it could maintain a steady flight.
Unless I hear of an impact in the neighborhood, and I’ve heard nothing so far, I’ll put
BobCleland
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-13T04:09:56.980Z
Hello. We appreciate your enthusiasm on this post. But answers are meant to answer the original question and not for clarification or extra information. If you happen to get any extra information, then edit your original question. Please don't add an "answer". I have temporarily protected the question from adding any "answers".
Nilay Ghosh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-15T21:40:26.433Z
FYI you can expect enthusiast FPV drones to do 90-100mph +/- 2
Yorik
<meteorite>
Did I see a meteorite in daylight? (4.30pm on 11/6/23
BobCleland
# Did I see a meteorite in daylight? (4.30pm on 11/6/23

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-11-09)

l saw a meteorite from my backyard at an elevation of about on 50ft on 11/6/23 at 4.30pm. It travelled from approx ENE to WSW in about 1-2 seconds. The object was traveling horizontally, not falling, for the period I saw it. It zipped by in a flash! It was mainly brown but looked blurry as though it was rotating at high speed, maybe due to its irregular shape(?). Just an assumption.
It also made a noise somewhat similar to a loud electric fan.
It travelled about 200yds (very approximately) and I calculated its speed between 200-400mph based on my 1-2 second observation.

I hope this links to my original report because my previous response somehow disappeared before I sent it.

Try to imagine an irregularly shaped brown rock rotating at high speed on its axis, traveling horizontally from my left to right, at my estimate of 200-400mph, at about 50ft above the ground (not sea level) over the 1-2 seconds that I was able to discern it. My field of view of the object was an estimated 200 yards (ie the visible distance it traveled before disappearing off to my right)

That’s what it looked like to me. I came to that conclusion based on the fact that the perimeter of the object seemed very blurred. I could not tell if it was descending in the short time I was able to process it.

The sound was loud, like a large fan to me, as you might imagine that a rotating irregularly shaped rock might make as it zipped through the air. Note that I have several hummingbirds in my back yard and I know what they sound like. Multiply their speed, sound and size by about 10 and that might sound similar to the object.

At first I thought in terms of it being a UAP as I reported on Reddit, but after researching on line I thought it might be a meteorite, but after reading learned comments on Astronomy Stack Exchange i realized that was an probably incorrect assumption.

I’ve never taken drugs and am not given to flights of fancy, and would not waste my time or yours making things up.

In closing, I was totally focused on the object in that 1-2 seconds and when I look back now all I can visualize is its presence to the exclusion of its surroundings. So it’s a UAP again until I hear differently.

Do you think it was a meteorite based on my report?
Any estimates on how far away it would have impacted?
I live in zip code CA 93065.
What are the chances of this?

---

I hope this links to my original report because my previous response somehow disappeared before I sent it.

Try to imagine an irregularly shaped brown rock rotating at high speed on its axis, traveling horizontally from my left to right, at my estimate of 200-400mph, at about 50ft above the ground (not sea level) over the 1-2 seconds that I was able to discern it. My field of view of the object was an estimated 200 yards (ie the visible distance it traveled before disappearing off to my right)

That’s what it looked like to me. I came to that conclusion based on the fact that the perimeter of the object seemed very blurred. I could not tell if it was descending in the short time I was able to process it.

The sound was loud, like a large fan to me, as you might imagine that a rotating irregularly shaped rock might make as it zipped through the air. Note that I have several hummingbirds in my back yard and I know what they sound like. Multiply their speed, sound and size by about 10 and that might sound similar to the object.

At first I thought in terms of it being a UAP as I reported on Reddit, but after researching on line I thought it might be a meteorite, but after reading learned comments on Astronomy Stack Exchange i realized that was an probably incorrect assumption.

I’ve never taken drugs and am not given to flights of fancy, and would not waste my time or yours making things up.

In closing, I was totally focused on the object in that 1-2 seconds and when I look back now all I can visualize is its presence to the exclusion of its surroundings. So it’s a UAP again until I hear differently.

Comments appreciated

**Tags:** meteorite

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Anything bright enough to be seen in the daytime would normally make the news.  So, lack of reports elsewhere highly suggest it was something else.  
> **username_2**: I think the OP is suggestin that he saw the actual meteorite at the end of its "dark flight", not the meteor. This would be enormously unlikely.  
> **username_3**: Many countries have fireball detection networks and/or citizen science projects where people can report sighting a fireball. If you think you saw one, you can check those to see if there are other reports. See for instance answers here https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/51761/34513 and here https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/46684/34513  
> **username_4**: Noise like "loud electric fan" and low estimated altitude both suggest a drone; lots of people flying them around these days and they get mistaken for other stuff all the time.  
> **username_2**: Or perhaps a hummingbird.  
> **username_2**: That zip code is at an elevation of 500-1000 feet.  
> **username_0**: I estimated it at 50ft above the ground not sea level. Without knowing my precise elevation above sea level I could not estimate its relative elevarion  
> **username_0**: Thanks for the responses! My son also suggested that it might be a drone. If my calculations are correct though, the speed of the object was 5 to 10 times faster than the average drone. It did not look like any drone that I’ve seen. It looked more like an orb, but I believe that may be because it appeared to be rotating on its axis. Ignoring the speed, if it was a brown drone tumbling/rotating through the air it might cause it to appear to be an orb, though I don’t see how it could maintain a steady flight. Unless I hear of an impact in the neighborhood, and I’ve heard nothing so far, I’ll put  
> **username_5**: Hello. We appreciate your enthusiasm on this post. But answers are meant to answer the original question and not for clarification or extra information. If you happen to get any extra information, then edit your original question. Please don't add an "answer". I have temporarily protected the question from adding any "answers".  
> **username_6**: FYI you can expect enthusiast FPV drones to do 90-100mph +/- 2  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-11-09. Score: 7

This is almost impossible.

A meteorite that has entered the atmosphere and survived the "bright" passage through the upper atmosphere will fall to Earth as a stone. In doing so it will lose nearly all its sideways momentum and fall, being blown by high altitude winds. By the time it reaches the Earth it will be falling down, and not shooting sideways. A meteorite that was 50 ft above you, and falling, would fall into your garden, (or perhaps your neighbour's). So your description of a "brown object moving at 200mph at 50 ft" is not consistent with it being a meteorite. (see an article about the [dark flight of meteorites](https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/PSJ/ac3df5) for more). I check to see if a meteor had been reported, but none had (of course meteors are more likely to be missed if they occur during the day)

A stone moving at 200mph horizontally and at 50ft will fall to Earth in about 1.7 seconds. In that time it will travel about 500ft horizontally. (But as I said, a meteorite would not be travelling horizontally)

Seeing a meteorite fall is *incredibly* rare. If a meteorite fell in a suburb of LA, that would be news. I can find examples of reports of people seeing a fireball, and later the meteorite being found. I can find reports of people hearing a "crash" and then finding a crater or impact. I can find no reports of people seeing a falling stone. It is possible that you are mistaken in some of your estimates of height and speed, but the exceptional evidence that would be needed to demonstrate that this was a meteorite is lacking.

Naturally, if further evidence does come in, such as the observation of a meteor or the discovery of the meteorite, I'll update this answer

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks and I defer to your expertise. I was explicit in saying it’s traveling horizontally and far as I can tell in the 1 to 2 seconds.  

---

