Bright Green Fireball Streaks Across Oregon, Washington Skies

A bright green fireball streaked across the sky over the Pacific Northwest Monday morning, captured on the dashcam of Jason Jenkins as he drove to work in southwestern Washington state. The event, occurring at 6:06 a.m. Local time, was visible approximately 20 miles north of Portland, Oregon.

Jenkins initially believed the object might be a comet, but quickly realized its proximity suggested otherwise. “It kind of reminded me of a lightning strike because it was so bright,” he said. “The video doesn’t do justice on how bright and close it seemed.”

Experts at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) identified the phenomenon as a fireball – a particularly bright meteor visible up to 80 miles above the Earth. Jim Todd, OMSI’s director of space science education, described the event as “bright, green, and spectacular,” noting that “one tiny little piece of rock put on such a demonstrate this morning.”

The green coloration of the fireball is commonly attributed to the presence of magnesium, which emits a blue-green light when heated and vaporized in the Earth’s atmosphere. Nickel can also contribute to the green hue, according to OMSI.

This sighting follows a series of recent fireball events across the United States. Last week, a 7-ton meteor traversed the Ohio sky, breaking apart with a thunderous boom that startled residents across several states, according to the Associated Press. On Saturday, NASA reported that a meteor traveling at 35,000 miles per hour disintegrated north of Houston, Texas, generating booms heard by some in the area. A resident of Cypress, Texas, reported that a piece of the meteor penetrated the roof of their home, according to ABC13.

Todd explained that the increasing number of reported fireball sightings is likely linked to the proliferation of dashboard and doorbell cameras. “As the number of people with cameras on their dashboards and doorbells has grown, so have reports of such sightings,” he said.

While fireballs are visually striking, it is rare for fragments to reach the Earth’s surface. Todd noted that even if a piece survives the descent, it typically resembles an ordinary rock, making recovery difficult unless it impacts a structure or leaves behind noticeable debris. Investigators are currently analyzing the dashcam footage and reports from other witnesses to determine the fireball’s trajectory and whether any fragments landed on Earth.

Jenkins, who purchased his dashcam for accident documentation, expressed his satisfaction with the unexpected capture. “I won’t go without a dashcam ever again,” he said. “I need to go buy a lottery ticket now.”