Reports Report 2680h (Event 2680-2018)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mike P |
| Experience Level | 2/5 |
| Remarks | I have spotted meteors and fireballs on my early morning runs but this looked totally different. I was running and saw a flash on the ground in front of me. At first I thought it was lightning but the sky was clear. When I looked up I saw a VERY bright long light, I did not see it streak, it looked stationary. The light itself was white/light yellow and lasted 2-3 seconds. As the light faded I could see that it was an explosion and could see smoke trains before and after the explosion. I could see the explosion for another 2-3 seconds, it was not elongated. The explosion itself was almost as big as the moon and I could see smoke around the central light. I know this sounds like an exaggeration but it was like something out of a movie, it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Gautier, MS |
| Latitude | 30° 23' 6.18'' N (30.385051°) |
| Longitude | 88° 38' 30.2'' W (-88.641722°) |
| Elevation | 4.998m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2018-07-30 03:30 CDT |
| UT Date & Time | 2018-07-30 08:30 UT |
| Duration | ≈7.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From up right to down left |
| Descent Angle | 265° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 156.88° |
| First azimuth | 154.27° |
| First elevation | 71° |
| Last azimuth | 137.4° |
| Last elevation | 67° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -22 |
| Color | Light Yellow |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Duration | 5s |
| Length | 20° |
| Remarks | There was a light and smoke train before and after the explosions. As the initial burst of light the I could see the smoke trains as well as the smoke around the central explosion. |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | When I looked up I saw an elongated bright light with a peak in the middle. As the light faded I could see the smoke trains before and after the central explosion. I did not see any fragmentation, the central explosion appeared to be stationary. |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |