There was complete cloud cover (thin layer), so the brightness was probably greater than I reported. No aircraft incidents reported in the area, and it still might have been space junk. But it was bright!
Location
Address
Ann Arbor, MI
Latitude
42° 17' 19.94'' N (42.288871°)
Longitude
83° 39' 3.52'' W (-83.650978°)
Elevation
255.837418m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2026-01-05 19:45 EST
UT Date & Time
2026-01-06 00:45 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up right to down left
Descent Angle
259°
Moving
Facing azimuth
358.17°
First azimuth
5.63°
First elevation
18°
Last azimuth
345.19°
Last elevation
15°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-7
Color
Light Yellow, Red, White
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
at the end of a white-ish streak, the object fragmented with red and white flashes. I thought it was a large chunk of space junk re-entering (might still be...)
Fragmentation
Observation
Yes
Remarks
at the end of the trail, there were 3 or 4 fragments which continued west, but at slightly off angles from the original trajectory.
