RELATED: NASA scientist with SETI institute answers questions about meteor seen in California sky
It wasn't a planned rocket launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Santa Barbara -- that was scrubbed. A planned Space X launch also didn't take off.
VIDEO: Mysterious light seen in Bay Area sky
Mysterious light in the sky over California identified as meteor by experts
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So what could it have been?
According to scientists at Lick Observatory, it was a bright meteor.
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The director of the Griffith Observatory in Southern California also confirmed that it was a bolide meteor, which was reportedly small enough to fit in your hand. But what people saw was the compressed air around it, which gave it its mysterious appearance.
Here are more stories and videos about space.
PHOTOS: Bay Area residents share photos of mysterious light in sky
What is a bolide meteor?