I had stepped outside just a minute before to track an overhead pass of the USA 32 satellite in binoculars to watch it do it\'s usual fast flashing pattern as it passed culmination, when I caught a bright light out of the corner of my eye low in the northwest. Thinking it was a bright aircraft landing light (I see them routinely since I\'m near an airport landing pattern) I ignored it for a couple of seconds and continued watching the satellite in the binoculars until I noticed the bright light also had an unusual color (a greenish hue). I was stunned to see how bright it was. It moved much more slowly than the usual meteor. I knew this couldn\'t be an Orionid since the direction and speed were all wrong. Orionids are known for being very fast and this meteor appeared to move in slow-motion in comparison. This was the most impressive meteor I\'ve seen in my entire 55 year life. It was better than any individual meteor I saw during the entire 2001 Leonids storm.
Location
Address
marina, CA
Latitude
36° 41' 10.45'' N (36.686235°)
Longitude
121° 48' 22.29'' W (-121.806192°)
Elevation
-
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2012-10-17 19:44 PDT
UT Date & Time
2012-10-18 02:44 UT
Duration
≈7.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up left to down right
Descent Angle
135°
Moving
Facing azimuth
296.93435°
First azimuth
301.06922°
First elevation
31°
Last azimuth
321.73037°
Last elevation
32°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-13
Color
white with green fringe
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-1s
Length
-1°
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
No
Remarks
Many bright fragments that appeared to slightly arc away from the main head before fading out. Appeared to have a slight green tinge.
