Great balls of fire in the Bay Area skies
The annual Taurids meteor showers put on a show in the Bay Area on Saturday evening, with one especially spectacular fireball wowing residents from around the region.
April Orcutt caught a glimpse of the slow-moving meteor in the western sky from her home in San Anselmo at 5:10 p.m., moments after the sun had gone down.
"I was astonished - it was still light out," she said. "It was a big white fireball, tinged in green, and disappeared behind Mount Tam."
Jon Baker from Redwood City e-mailed The Chronicle to report that about the same time, he saw "a small but very bright white fireball falling from the sky at a steep angle ... leaving a trail behind of smoke and sparkles of debris."
"It was moving slow, kinda looked like a streamer from a firework," Baker said of the object he saw as he drove on Redwood Avenue.
The Taurids meteor showers are also known as the "Halloween Fireballs" for their arrival near the holiday known for tricks and treats, according to Meteorblog.com.
They are thought to be remnants from the Comet Encke and appear to be emanating from the constellation Taurus. They peak between Nov. 5 and 12.