Extremely bright massive fireball in the westward sky of So Cal. Very hard not to miss. Was observed during morning commute on the 134 FY westbound. Attempted to take a photo with smartphone and had technical difficulties while driving. There's no possible way that many others did not see this event while headed westbound on any roadway in Southern California at that same time. It was very noteworthy and bright. Amazing to see, but regret not being able to snap a photo in time. Apologies to all of you space nerds. LOL
Location
Address
Los Angeles, CA
Latitude
34° 8' 43.22'' N (34.14534°)
Longitude
118° 13' 12.53'' W (-118.220147°)
Elevation
228.040176m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2024-12-17 05:23 PST
UT Date & Time
2024-12-17 13:23 UT
Duration
≈20s
Direction
Moving direction
From up right to down left
Descent Angle
251°
Moving
Facing azimuth
282.09°
First azimuth
283.29°
First elevation
39°
Last azimuth
280.55°
Last elevation
25°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-20
Color
Orange, Yellow, Light Yellow, White
Concurrent Sound
Observation
Unknown
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
Unknown
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
10s
Length
10°
Remarks
Large glowing train. Steady bright yellow/orange coloring. Surprisingly slow moving compared to a "shooting star". Definitely something celestial.
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Brief white flash with no remaining evidence. Tail dwindled shortly thereafter.
