I have never observed a fireball so low in the sky before. I have observed meteor showers and shooting stars which are small streaks way out in the solar system, nothing what I observed tonight. I actually braced and counted for an impact.
Location
Address
Beaufort, SC
Latitude
32° 22' 37.49'' N (32.37708°)
Longitude
80° 42' 53.72'' W (-80.714922°)
Elevation
-
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2011-10-24 19:30 EDT
UT Date & Time
2011-10-24 23:30 UT
Duration
≈1.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From right to left
Descent Angle
270°
Moving
Facing azimuth
-1°
First azimuth
341.1118°
First elevation
45°
Last azimuth
16.25636°
Last elevation
45°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-27
Color
red with yellow tail
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-1s
Length
-1°
Remarks
It was a large fireball I observed in the night sky. The sky was clear and my vision was unobstructed as a travelled over the Russell Bell Bridge. The fireball was bright red and yellow with a long red to yellow tail. It appeared so low that at first I thought it was a jet from the MCAS that was in distress. I also braced for an impact because I have never observed an object of this size streak across the sky. The object then disappeared into the night sky. It appeared to be travelling at a high rate of speed.
