Reports Report 5538zo (Event 5538-2017)

Observer
Name S D
Experience Level 1/5
Remarks I have never seen anything like it before (and I am quite middle aged!) I generally believe that things have a practical and earthly explanation and wondered whether it was a new year's eve prank, or a new kind of firework - but it did not burn out and was travelling extremely fast and was somehow 'other worldly'. I live in a rural area and it was very dark, apart from the moon, which will be full by tomorrow. I was driving northwards on the A350. It literally zipped across the horizon above the arc of the trees, as I was driving.
Location
Address Shaftesbury, England (GB)
Latitude 51° 5' 59.97'' N (51.099991°)
Longitude 2° 9' 44.41'' W (-2.162335°)
Elevation 162.059601m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time 2017-12-31 17:40 GMT
UT Date & Time 2017-12-31 17:40 UT
Duration ?
Direction
Moving direction From right to left
Descent Angle 270°
Moving
Facing azimuth -
First azimuth 49.09°
First elevation 35°
Last azimuth 301.67°
Last elevation 33°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude -12
Color Green
Concurrent Sound
Observation No
Remarks -
Delayed Sound
Observation No
Remarks -
Persistent train
Observation Yes
Duration -
Length -
Remarks The tail was green near the front and then tailing to white. I tried to make sense of it as an enormous firework - but it seemed to be following the curve of the horizon, at speed. It was definitely not a plane. Too low to the earth.
Terminal flash
Observation No
Remarks -
Fragmentation
Observation Unknown
Remarks -