Reports Report 860ac (Event 860-2012)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mike H |
| Experience Level | 1/5 |
| Remarks | I am a pilot who was driving to the airfield when I saw the very bright yellow ball descending rapidly from north to south. Originally, I thought it could be a rocket or disintegrating aircraft. It lasted several seconds, moved at what seemed like a slow pace towards the ground (likely just a long distance away). It was located due east of my position. The fireball got dramatically bright and then suddenly disappeared. No noise was heard. Looked like aircraft debris at first but later determined it must have been a meteorite. I\'ve seen dozens of meteorites over the years but I\'ve never seen anything this bright. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | USAF Academy, CO |
| Latitude | 39° 0' 47.93'' N (39.013315°) |
| Longitude | 104° 51' 18.84'' W (-104.855232°) |
| Elevation | - |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2012-06-20 13:00 MDT |
| UT Date & Time | 2012-06-20 19:00 UT |
| Duration | ≈3.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From up left to down right |
| Descent Angle | 135° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 92.70029° |
| First azimuth | 73.02298° |
| First elevation | 30° |
| Last azimuth | 102.96144° |
| Last elevation | 10° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | 1 |
| Color | Yellow |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Duration | 2s |
| Length | 10° |
| Remarks | Slow moving ball glowed brightly, looked like it exploded, then disappeared. Very small smoke trail following closely behind. |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | - |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |