Streak of light in night sky unidentified
A fireball that light up the Las Vegas sky captivated spectators across the valley Tuesday night who took to social media to share images of the mysterious object as it came plunging toward land.
Around 6 p.m., bewildered residents began posting comments about the object, which has yet to be identified. A McCarran International Airport spokesman said it was not a downed aircraft. Nevada Highway Patrol troopers who were dispatched to a call about something falling along state Route 160, and they could not locate anything, spokeswoman trooper Chelsea Stuenkel said.
Theories about the object's origins swirled for hours, with many presuming it to be an object from outer space. According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a meteor shower was slated to occur Dec. 17-Dec. 23, peaking Monday or Tuesday.
John Mowbray, a Las Vegas-based lawyer and astrophotography enthusiast, surmised the object was disintegrating space debris "because of the speed and how it's breaking up" as it fell from the sky.
Contact Ana Ley at aley@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512. Find her on Twitter: @la__ley. Contact Ricardo Torres at rtorres@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.
