RENTREE ATMOSPHERIQUE — NATIONAL (FR) 21.10.2011

Many people across French departments reported a light crossing the sky on 21 October 2011 at about 20:00. The descriptions fit a fireball: intense light, a green trail, a straight path and a duration of a few seconds. The source defines a fireball as light produced when a ‘large meteorite’, over 100 g and from a few centimetres to 1 m, enters the upper atmosphere. REFORME meteor observers also recorded the event at the same time within 2 minutes, with several observers in northern France, leaving no doubt that it occurred. REFORME estimated magnitude −6, which the source describes as moderate. Unlisted space debris entering the atmosphere is another possibility. The case is classified B: probable atmospheric entry of a meteoroid or space debris.