VIDEO: Mysterious light seen in California sky identified as meteor

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Residents across California were surprised to see a mysterious bright light in the sky Wednesday night, many posting to social media to speculate what it could be.

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

A mysterious light was spotted in the sky after 5:30 p.m., a time when most are making their way home from work.

So what could it have been?

According to scientists at Lick Observatory, it was a bright meteor.

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

A mysterious light caught the attention of many -- that mystery is now solved. Scientists have identified it as a bolide meteor.