I was astounded at how low it got before breaking up. Definitely not in the upper atmosphere. My partner and I even wondered if some part of it might have reached the ground. It occurred to me to listen even though we were in a busy parking lot near the freeway. The double sonic boom was very clear above the background noise. I recognized the sound from all the times the Space Shuttle had flown overhead while landing (I used to live in Central Florida). It sounded very similar.
Location
Address
Santa Rosa, CA
Latitude
38° 24' 34.71'' N (38.409641°)
Longitude
122° 42' 51.78'' W (-122.714383°)
Elevation
39.084332m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2023-11-26 18:45 PST
UT Date & Time
2023-11-27 02:45 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up left to down right
Descent Angle
114°
Moving
Facing azimuth
79.71°
First azimuth
78.41°
First elevation
43°
Last azimuth
98.94°
Last elevation
15°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-22
Color
Green, Light Green, Light Yellow, White
Concurrent Sound
Observation
Unknown
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
Yes
Remarks
I heard a double sonic boom about 7 seconds after the fireball exploded above the horizon.
Persistent train
Observation
Unknown
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
The trail of the fireball got wider and wider as it fell. About half way across the arc it seemed to fade but then continued along the same path suddenly brightening until it exploded about 30 degrees about the horizon. There were random sparkles along its path.
Fragmentation
Observation
Yes
Remarks
See above. It seemed to break apart about halfway along its arc. Then it brightened again. The core of it got huge and really bright just before it exploded and vanished.
