I'm not sure of what I saw. It was a brief blue streak that looked like a signal flare or a firework. But it was 4:15am on a Monday morning in a suburban area. It's highly unlikely it would have been a flare or a firework (It didn't make any noise). I asked an astronomer at Northwestern University and he said it could very well have been a meteorite. I've seen them before. Although this happened quickly, it was slower than the ones I've seen before.
Location
Address
Vernon Hills, IL
Latitude
42° 14' 30.76'' N (42.241878°)
Longitude
87° 57' 38.39'' W (-87.960663°)
Elevation
-
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2012-02-13 04:15 CST
UT Date & Time
2012-02-13 10:15 UT
Duration
≈1.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up left to down right
Descent Angle
135°
Moving
Facing azimuth
354.67434°
First azimuth
336.34912°
First elevation
90°
Last azimuth
359.02069°
Last elevation
46°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-9
Color
Blue
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
1s
Length
10°
Remarks
It looked like a signal flare or the tail end of a firework. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I just caught it out of the corner of my eye but I saw a blue streak. No smoke. Just a brief glowing train.
Terminal flash
Observation
No
Remarks
It seemed like it split in two, but I couldn\'t be sure. By the time my mind registered it, it was over.
