I have my PhD in optical physics. I have done a considerable amount of stargazing in my 41 years on this earth and I have never seen anything this bright in the sky (besides the sun and the moon). I was completely stunned.
Location
Address
Livermore, CA
Latitude
37° 41' 6.83'' N (37.685231°)
Longitude
121° 44' 47.27'' W (-121.746463°)
Elevation
163.829102m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2013-01-17 05:22 PST
UT Date & Time
2013-01-17 13:22 UT
Duration
≈1.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up right to down left
Descent Angle
225°
Moving
Facing azimuth
60°
First azimuth
75°
First elevation
30°
Last azimuth
45°
Last elevation
10°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-9
Color
White
Concurrent Sound
Observation
Yes
Remarks
The sound was similar to the whooshing of a model rocket.
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
10s
Length
20°
Remarks
It glowed long enough for it to occur to me to try to take a snapshot with my iPhone. Couldn't see anything in the image even after maxing out the contrast. The meteor made a streak up about 30 deg, of which it was the first 20 that persisted noticeably longer than the last 10. The train kind of sparkled as it faded.
