Lincoln LaPaz saw a green fireball near Starvation Peak in New Mexico. It appeared all at once, streaked almost horizontally across the sky, then broke into green fragments. About two seconds later, it vanished.
LaPaz was a scientist who studied meteors. At a conference in Los Alamos, near the laboratory where green fireballs had been reported, he recounted what he had seen. The scientists gathered there could not agree on what caused the phenomenon, either. To LaPaz, the fireball did not behave like an ordinary meteor.
The Light Appeared at Full Brightness
LaPaz said the fireball appeared at full intensity. Its light did not gradually grow brighter. It was green or yellowish-green.
It traveled almost horizontally at what appeared to be a constant speed. Just before it vanished, the fireball broke into smaller pieces, which also remained green. The sighting lasted nearly two seconds.
Unlike a Familiar Meteor
LaPaz compared the sighting with what scientists know about meteors. A meteor is the light produced when a rock from space enters Earth’s atmosphere. If part of the rock reaches the ground, it is called a meteorite.
He said ordinary meteors travel on paths that aren’t nearly horizontal, while maintaining a steady speed. The fireball’s color and fragmentation also did not match what he had seen before. He said he knew of no similar case involving a meteorite fall.
Scientists Searched for an Explanation
Reports of green fireballs from pilots began arriving in December 1948, in the area around Los Alamos. At a conference held in February 1949, scientists discussed possible explanations but reached no agreement. A large fireball seen in January prompted the collection of reports from a wide area.
What Remains Unknown
The cause of the fireballs was never established, and the document does not describe any later investigation that settled the question. One possibility was that meteors had entered the atmosphere at a shallow angle and high altitude. Scientist Edward Teller also suggested that an electrical process involving electrons might have produced the phenomenon.
LaPaz saw a green light break into pieces and vanish. The scientists at the conference left without an agreed-upon answer.
