The event was incredible. I had no idea the Gemenids were hitting that weekend. There's a fair amount of light pollution from Boston and Cambridge and a bright street light. Despite that we saw it in amazing clarity. At first I thought an airplane was going down. Then I said to my 9 yo son (we were just returning from his basketball practice), "that's a shooting star." Then I watched it move across the sky. I finally realized I should get my phone out and it fizzled. I remember thinking it seemed like it might be heading towards Somerville. I'm not sure it ever hit ground. But it was amazing and I'm glad my son and I shared the sighting.
Location
Address
Watertown, MA
Latitude
42° 22' 1.07'' N (42.366964°)
Longitude
71° 9' 52.12'' W (-71.164477°)
Elevation
14.084976m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2025-12-12 21:10 EST
UT Date & Time
2025-12-13 02:10 UT
Duration
≈7.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up right to down left
Descent Angle
265°
Moving
Facing azimuth
77.12°
First azimuth
174.87°
First elevation
25°
Last azimuth
27.13°
Last elevation
10°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-9
Color
Orange, Red
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
At first it looked like an airplane on fire. Orange and red flames (so it seemed) coming off it it. Then pffft, it disappeared. Fizzled out. Not sure if that is fragmentation or a terminal flash.
