The fireball entered from the East in the southern sky and headed West. After it exploded nearly due South of my position, it streaked for an additional second or two before disappearing in the sky. The area I was at is surrounded by 60 foot trees and this event was well above the canopies of said trees.
Location
Address
Bumpass, VA
Latitude
38° 0' 3.75'' N (38.001041°)
Longitude
77° 42' 26.66'' W (-77.707406°)
Elevation
81.687965m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2024-12-12 20:29 EST
UT Date & Time
2024-12-13 01:29 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From left to right
Descent Angle
90°
Moving
Facing azimuth
162.8°
First azimuth
135.76°
First elevation
24°
Last azimuth
190.41°
Last elevation
24°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-12
Color
Light Blue
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
1s
Length
10°
Remarks
Glowing trail persisted after the point that the blue streak exploded and then disappeared a second or two after the streak had disappeared. Whole streak appeared 6 to 8 inches from perspective.
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
The explosion was bright but did not light up the area sky and the event did not hurt my eyes. The explosion expanded three times the size of the streak, the streak was about as thick as a pencil from my perspective.
