A streak of light seen burning across the sky in three western states was debris from a Russian rocket re-entering the atmosphere, military officials said Wednesday.

A fireball seen over Arizona, Nevada and California on Tuesday nightwas an SL-4 rocket body booster from Russia that was launched Monday.

U.S. Strategic Command spokeswoman Julie Ziegenhorn says the fireball seen over Arizona, Nevada and California in the Tuesday night sky was an SL-4 rocket body booster from Russia that was launched Monday.

Dozens of people took to social media to share videos and photos and marvel at the white fireball flying through the sky that some described as a shooting star.

Others wondered if it was a meteor breaking up on re-entry or space debris from a fallen satellite.

The Joint Space Operation Center had been tracking the rocket body, along with 16,000 other objects, Strategic Command spokesman Lt. Col. Martin O'Donnell said in a statement.

It was unknown whether the rocket body survived re-entry or if it did, where it ended up, Strategic Command said.

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