Fireball report

Reports Report 3926f (Event 3926-2017)

Observer
Name	Lance B
Experience Level	5/5
Remarks	This is probably the same event reported by someone else from Pomona, CA at approximately the same time (Pomona is close to my location). I checked my iPhone 5S about 10 seconds after the event to get the time. I estimated my location based on memory and from how the position in the sky changed as I drove slowly between the Grand Ave. and Sunflower exits on 210. The sky location was directly in front of me when I saw it, and then it shifted to my right, indicating that my line-of-sight had shifted left (i.e., north). I used a map of the freeway to see where I could have been for that pattern so occur and selected the location accordingly (I knew my location within a fraction of a mile from knowledge of the road). I was facing nearly due east when I saw this and the meteor's angle downward was very close to vertical. This event was much slower than any other fireball that I've ever seen: clearly more than 5 seconds. If it was a meteor, it must have been quite distant. The section of the road where I was located has low horizons to the east and it's straightforward to see down below 5 degrees in elevation. I also dictated some notes about this event into a voice recorder and that helped me remember details.

Location
Address	Glendora, CA
Latitude	34° 7' 0.86'' N (34.116905°)
Longitude	117° 51' 36.34'' W (-117.860095°)
Elevation	239.329m

Time and Duration
Local Date & Time	2017-10-21 19:21 PDT
UT Date & Time	2017-10-22 02:21 UT
Duration	≈7.5s

Direction
Moving direction	From up right to down left
Descent Angle	183°

Moving
Facing azimuth	90°
First azimuth	90°
First elevation	20°
Last azimuth	90°
Last elevation	7°

Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude	-6
Color	White

Concurrent Sound
Observation	No
Remarks	-

Delayed Sound
Observation	No
Remarks	-

Persistent train
Observation	No
Duration	-
Length	-
Remarks	-

Terminal flash
Observation	No
Remarks	-

Fragmentation
Observation	Yes
Remarks	It split in two about 1/2 way down after I first noticed it. The trajectories diverged slightly from the vertical. Please note that this was seen through a dirty car windshield while I was stuck in very slow eastbound traffic on I-210. I could not see any stars to compare the brightness, but it was brighter than two nearby airplanes. Oddly, it appeared that each trail wiggled slightly as they descended toward the horizon. This would be very strange for a meteor (I have a lot of experience with visual observations dating back 40 years), so I'm not completely sure it was a meteor, but I'm entering this record just in case. I did not see the end of the event because I had to pay attention to traffic.

Fragmentation

Observation

Yes

Remarks

It split in two about 1/2 way down after I first noticed it. The trajectories diverged slightly from the vertical. Please note that this was seen through a dirty car windshield while I was stuck in very slow eastbound traffic on I-210. I could not see any stars to compare the brightness, but it was brighter than two nearby airplanes. Oddly, it appeared that each trail wiggled slightly as they descended toward the horizon. This would be very strange for a meteor (I have a lot of experience with visual observations dating back 40 years), so I'm not completely sure it was a meteor, but I'm entering this record just in case. I did not see the end of the event because I had to pay attention to traffic.