The horizon from my perspective was high above 0 degrees (it was the mountains looking west from Reno) so I was unable to see where it terminated. I was driving west on I-80 just west of the I-80/580 junction. The very bright fireball appeared in my view at the top of my windshield and disappeared behind the mountain skyline. The train was the same color as the fireball.
Location
Address
Reno, NV
Latitude
39° 32' 11.41'' N (39.536504°)
Longitude
119° 48' 1.5'' W (-119.800418°)
Elevation
1368.059692m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2018-12-19 17:34 PST
UT Date & Time
2018-12-20 01:34 UT
Duration
≈1.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up right to down left
Descent Angle
191°
Moving
Facing azimuth
247.72°
First azimuth
250.02°
First elevation
30°
Last azimuth
247.8°
Last elevation
20°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-13
Color
Very Light Blue, White
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
99.99s
Length
9°
Remarks
At first the train looked like a contrail was well-defined and bright, nearly vertical and glowing or luminous. As time passed it began to skew and widen but diffuse. It was bright and visible for at least 30 minutes.
