I was casually looking at the night sky and was trying to watch an airplane pass in the distance when suddenly this firey spark flew directly across my vision. It took about 2 seconds before sputtering and disappearing from the sky all together. I had a clear line of sight the entire time. It was much closer and in a different part of the sky than the airplane I was looking at.
Location
Address
Loves Park, IL
Latitude
42° 19' 15.61'' N (42.321004°)
Longitude
89° 3' 43.77'' W (-89.062157°)
Elevation
221.083m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2017-02-18 00:30 CST
UT Date & Time
2017-02-18 06:30 UT
Duration
≈1.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From down right to up left
Descent Angle
276°
Moving
Facing azimuth
270°
First azimuth
270°
First elevation
43°
Last azimuth
270°
Last elevation
47°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-10
Color
Orange
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Long tail, small pause, flash like a sputter in the trail, and then a short continuation of the head before disappearance.
Fragmentation
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Long tail, small pause, flash like a sputter in the trail, and then a short continuation of the head before disappearance.
