My first thought as I was driving was that someone had shot off a skyrocket. But it was going the wrong way for a skyrocket - almost straight down but at a slight angle to the right. It was east and south of me as I drove on the interstate. I actually wondered at the time if it was a shooting star but it wasn't totally white as I have seen with other shooting stars, so I didn't think about it anymore. Then I saw a video on the news this morning and realized it had to have happened at the same time I was driving home. It was very fast. My brother was in a car about a half mile behind me and I will contact him and check if he saw it. It was the direction we were both driving.
Location
Address
Hoffman Estates, IL
Latitude
42° 3' 59.39'' N (42.066496°)
Longitude
88° 7' 42.19'' W (-88.128385°)
Elevation
240.725006m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2013-09-27 22:30 CDT
UT Date & Time
2013-09-28 03:30 UT
Duration
≈1.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up to down
Descent Angle
180°
Moving
Facing azimuth
103.88°
First azimuth
120.32°
First elevation
58°
Last azimuth
119.56°
Last elevation
35°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-13
Color
White with blue green "sparks" falling off to the sides
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Fragmentation
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Saw bluish-greenish "sparks" coming from the main line as it flashed.
