Fireball Sightings Log: 2001

• AMS Reported Fireball Numbers: 2001
• Significant Fireball Events Over North America for 2001
• The July 23, 2001, Pennsylvania Bolide
• Fireball Sightings Table: 2001

Chart Explanation: The above chart shows the number of fireballs reported to the AMS, by month, based upon the 752 reports received by the AMS, Jan-Aug, 2001. The trend shows the typical rise in "reported" fireball activity throughout the spring and summer months (strongly biased by the amount of outdoor human activity in the evening hours), with the fireball activity tending to follow the trend of the background "sporadic" meteor activity (see the AMS Visual Observing Logs for this trend). A secondary peak in fireball activity around the time of the vernal equinox (about March 21), the so-called "spring fireballs," is also evident (see the IMO's Annual and Diurnal Variations in Fireball Rates for an explanation).

• March 7, 2001 @ ~0514 UTC: A -7 to -10 magnitude, white-green fireball was seen from central Oklahoma in the late evening (2315 local time), and was reported by 2 witnesses (no. 11).

• April 4, 2001 @ ~0213 UTC: A -4 to -9 magnitude, green fireball was seen from Tucson, Arizona in the early evening (1913 local time), and was reported by 2 witnesses (no. 30).

• April 16, 2001 @ ~0525 UTC: A -9 to -12 magnitude, blue-white fireball was seen from eastern Texas shortly after midnight (0025 local time), and was reported by 3 witnesses (no. 33).

• April 18, 2001 @ ~0225 UTC: A -9 to -12 magnitude, green fireball was seen from several midwestern states in the mid-evening (2125 local time). The fireball track ran roughly north to south over the Mississippi River valley: it was observed to travel NE to SE as viewed from Nebraska and South Dakota, while travelling NW to SW as viewed from Illinois and Wisconsin. The brilliant green "7-Up bottle" color of the fireball was commented upon by most of the 7 witnesses who reported this event (4 being in Illinois) (no. 34).

• April 25, 2001 @ ~0100 UTC: A -9 to -12 magnitude, multi-colored fireball was seen from eastern Texas in the mid-evening (2000 local time), and was reported by 2 witnesses (no. 38).

• May 6, 2001 @ ~0915 UTC: A > -12 magnitude, white/blueish white fireball was seen from three northeastern states in the early morning (0515 local time). This fireball is most likely associated with the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which was near its peak on that morning. The fireball was observed to begin roughly N to NE as viewed from Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania, and traveling roughly towards the NW. It was reported by 4 witnesses (no. 47).

• May 31, 2001 @ ~0812 UTC: An ~ -12 magnitude, blue-green fireball was seen from Wisconsin and Illinois in the early morning (0312 local time), and was reported by 2 witnesses (no. 54).

• June 24, 2001 @ ~0145 UTC: A -4 to -7 magnitude, yellow-white fireball was seen from Georgia in the mid-evening (2145 local time), and was reported by 2 witnesses (no. 69).

• June 26, 2001 @ ~0115 UTC: A -4 to -9 magnitude, very slow, very long duration, yellow fireball was viewed to the east as seen from Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, as reported by three witnesses. This fireball left a smoke trail which lasted for up to three minutes, and the descriptions sound suspiciously like a missile launch (we have since received confirmation that this event was indeed a military missle launch) (no. 72).

• July 6, 2001 @ ~2230 UTC: A > -12 magnitude, swift, orange-red fireball was seen from the Virginia and West Virginia area in the early evening (1830 local time), and was reported by two witnesses (no. 76).

• July 11, 2001 @ ~0226 UTC: A -4 to -9 magnitude, swift, white-blue fireball was seen from New Hampshire in the late evening (2226 local time), and was reported by two witnesses (no. 80).

• July 15, 2001 @ ~0455 UTC: A -8 to -10 magnitude, yellow-white fireball was seen from New York & New Hampshire in the very late evening (0055 local time), and was reported by two witnesses (no. 85).

• July 17, 2001 @ ~0130 UTC: A -4 to -9 magnitude, blue-white fireball was seen from southern Florida in the evening (2130 local time), and was reported by two witnesses (no. 86).

• July 21, 2001 @ ~0307 UTC: A -4 to -9 magnitude, greenish fireball was seen from Nevada and northern Arizona in the evening (2000-2015 local time), and was reported by two witnesses (no. 87).

• July 23, 2001 @ ~2218 UTC: A -20 to -26 magnitude, swift, yellow-orange fireball occurred over over north-central Pennsylvania in the early evening (1818 local time), and was reported by numerous witnesses in several states/provinces including: Ontario, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Deleware, West Virgina, Virginia, and Maryland. This fireball is being investigated by the AMS, and is treated in a seperarate section below (no. 92).

• August 1, 2001 @ ~0520 UTC: A -4 to -9 magnitude, long duration (more than about 5 sec), blue-green fireball was seen from Michigan and Wisconsin in the late evening (about 2320/0020 local time), and was reported by nine witnesses (no. 109).

• August 6, 2001 @ ~0255 UTC: An ~ -12 magnitude, bright orange fireball was seen from New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut in the late evening (about 2255 local time), and was reported by seven witnesses (no. 126).

• August 12, 2001 @ ~0338 UTC: A -4 to -9 magnitude, very long duration (more than 10 seconds), blue-orange-yellow fireball was seen from Maine, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia in the late evening (about 2338/0038 local time), and was reported by eleven witnesses . This fireball is most likely an "Earth-grazing" fireball associcated with radiant rise of the Perseid Meteor shower -- although the duration is a bit long (no. 142).

• August 18, 2001 @ ~0450 UTC: A -4 to -9 magnitude, yellow-orange fireball was seen from portions of Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming in the late evening, and was reported to the AMS by 18 witnesses. According to its infrasonic signature, monitored at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, this fireball has the potential to have dropped meteorites, and is being investigated by geologists at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (no. 155).

• August 19, 2001 @ ~0430 UTC: A very bright (> -10 magnitude), multi-colored fireball was seen from portions of Maine, New Brunssick, and Nova Scotia in the late evening (2330/0030 local time), and was reported by six witnesses (no. 157).

• August 26, 2001 @ ~0000 UTC: A -9 to -12 magnitude, orange-yellow fireball was seen from Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont in the late evening (2300 local time), and was reported by five witnesses (no. 162).

• August 26, 2001 @ ~0400 UTC: A -4 to -9 magnitude, white-orange fireball was seen from portions of California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia in the late evening (~2100 local time), and was reported by six witnesses (no. 164).

• August 27, 2001 @ ~0430 UTC: A ~ -12 magnitude, short duration, multicolored fireball was seen from portions of California, Oregon, and Washington in the late evening (~2130 local time) and was reported by four witnesses (no. 165).

• September 3, 2001 @ ~0130 UTC: A -4 to -12 magnitude, medium duration, white to blue-green fireball was seen from portions of Florida in the late evening (~2130 local time) and was reported by four witnesses (no. 168).

• September 6, 2001 @ ~0420 UTC: A > -12 magnitude, short duration, white-orange fireball was seen from portions of California in the late evening (~2120 local time) and was reported by six witnesses (no. 173).

• September 6, 2001 @ ~0950 UTC: A -9 to -12 magnitude, white-orange, very slow fireball with a long-duration smoke trail was reported to the AMS by witnesses from several eastern seaboard states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersy, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Several sources have verified that this fireball was a re-entering piece of "space junk," and NOT meteoric in origin. Members of a satellite monitoring list reported that: "there was a predicted reentry of a Rocket body over the Atlantic coast of the US for around the time of this fireball. The rocket body was 1975-076B (#08128) Cosmos 756 RB," that is, a reentering Russian SL-3 rocket booster used to launch a satellite in 1975 (no. 174).

• October 29, 2001 @ ~0130 UTC: A -4 to -12 magnitude, medium duration, multi-colored fireball was seen from portions of Texas and Oklahoma in the early evening (~1930 local time) and was reported by four witnesses (no. 197).

• November 18, 2001: A large number of fireballs were reported in association with the Leonid meteor shower, which sharply peaked on this night and produced a large number of bright meteors. Note that we are listing these multiple Leonid fireballs under a single number (no. 204).

Last updated on December 24, 2001. Further reports from the Fall and early Winter quarters have yet to be entered (to be updated over the Christmas break).

In the early evening of July 23, 2001, at about 6:18 PM EDT (in daylight), a significant fireball event occurred over the state of Pennsylvania. This very bright event(magnitude -20 to -26), lasting about 2-5 seconds, and usually reported as orange or yellow and having a short lived smoke trail, was seen by many witnesses, from as far north as Canada and as far south as southern Virgina. Several witnesses in sothern New York and north-central Pennsylvania also reported a loud series of sonic booms from this event, shaking houses and cars. We are still in the process of analyzing the numerous reports received about this fireball.

From North of the Fireball Trajectory: This beautiful photograph of the 7/23/01 daylight fireball was taken by Paul Brown of Rochester, New York, caught fortuitously as he was out taking pictures of his children in his backyard that Monday evening (about 6:18 PM EDT). The image was captured while facing generally to the southeast, with the fireball following a roughly downward and left-to-right path.

From the South of the Fireball Trajectory: A sketch of the 7/23/01 Pennsylvania Bolide, as seen and drawn by eyewitness Richard Weinstein from Wyomissing, PA (angular measurements made with a sextant). Note that in this view was made while facing generally to the northwest, with the fireball following a roughly downward and right-to-left path.

Preliminary Analysis: A "push-pin" map of the eyewitnesses to the 7/23/01 Pennsylvania Bolide (produced the following day on 7/24/01). Stars indicate the general location of the witness, while the "flag" on the star indicates the general direction of the fireball sighting. Red stars are visual sightings only, blue stars indicate that sonic booms were also reported, and the green square indicates an approximate bounding box for the trajectory of the fireball (based upon our received reports), moving roughly from east to west. [added on 7/26/01] The black line indicates the trajectory of the fireball, moving east to west, as determined from satellite surveillance data (courtesy: Dr. Peter Brown).

Sonic Boom Area: A map of the area near the terminal point of the 7/23/01 Pennsylvania Bolide, with stars indicating the locations where a loud series of sonic booms were heard (using 33 separate reports). The numbers next to the some of the stars indicate the approximate number of minutes which passed between the visual observation of the fireball and the arrival of the sonic booms. Note the concentration of apparently shorter time durations near the Wellsboro / Morris area, indicating that these were potentially closer to the trajectory of the fireball.

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Last Modified: December 24, 2001

For questions or comments on this website contact:

James Richardson / richardson@amsmeteors.org