Last Thursday's predawn spectacle was flaming comet

The fireball that lit up the predawn sky last week, seen from Reno, Lake Tahoe and Northern California, was a small comet that flamed out when it hit the Earth's atmosphere, a researcher said Tuesday.
The comet "instantly turned into dust and gas," resulting in the flash of light seen by many at 5:21 a.m. Thursday, said meteor hunter Peter Jenniskens, a scientist at the Seti Institute in Mountain View.
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