Fragmenting fireball over northeastern France

Summary

Between 6:30 and 7:00 PM on November 17, 1983, witnesses in Haute-Saône, Moselle, and Meurthe-et-Moselle observed a round, vividly colored mass crossing the sky horizontally at high speed without making a sound. Its altitude was estimated at 300 to 600 meters. Some witnesses saw the main mass break into several unequal reddish fragments followed by a yellow-orange trail. The description is consistent with a meteorite's atmospheric entry.