© Fort Collins Coloradoan (file photo)
No, I'm not talking about a drone. At least, I don't think I am.
Regardless, there's no need to have a "let's storm Area 51" moment just yet. Any unusual sightings were likely activity from a Quadrantid meteor shower that peaked late Friday night over Northern Colorado.
Coloradoan reader Krista Vance tipped us off to a bright green ball of light she said she and her 15-year-old daughter Olivia saw streak across the sky while driving north on Taft Hill Road near the Cathy Fromme Prairie area around 9 p.m. Friday.
"It was only visible for two snaps of your fingers, then ... poof ... gone," Vance told the Coloradoan, adding that the sight of the quick green flash gave her goosebumps.
Little did Vance know, just before she and her daughter saw the flash in southwest Fort Collins, a small group of amateur astronomers was gathered near Fossil Creek Reservoir Open Space on the southeastern edge of town for a special public skygazing session.
The group — led by the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society — was there to specifically see the annual Quadrantid meteor shower, which is typically active for about two weeks at the end of each year into early January.
This year, the meteor shower's activity was expected to peak over the American West late Friday night, when the Northern Colorado stargazers witnessed up to three meteors flash across the sky at the same time, according to Greg Halac, the outreach coordinator for the Northern Colorado Astronomical Society.
The meteors, which originated from Ursa Major, or the Big Dipper, would have been visible on the East Coast closer to 3 a.m. Saturday.
"The larger pieces often emit a bright green light, especially at the end of their track in the sky," Halac explained in an email to the Coloradoan. "Typically, you observe a streak across they sky, but if they come in straight down at the observer, the trail will be short and you can observe a short-duration flash."
Though Halac didn't witness the green flash Vance described — and can't confirm its origin — he said it sounded like it was likely part of the Quadrantid shower. It could also have been a stray meteor not related to the shower, he said.
"I typically see something describable as a 'green flash' or 'fireball' once or twice a year," Halac said, adding that he spends more than 150 hours skygazing each year.
Want to stargaze for yourself?
The Northern Colorado Astronomical Society is hosting its next public stargazing session from 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 17 at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, 6550 W. County Road 38E, Fort Collins.
The stargazing session is free, but you must have or purchase an entrance permit to get into the area. Registration is encouraged and can be done at larimer.org/naturalresources.
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