Reports Report 1828ay (Event 1828-2026)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Richard L |
| Experience Level | 1/5 |
| Remarks | I was driving from Ashburn, VA to Leesbur, VA and around 8:55am I saw what looked light a bright orange object on fire falling down in the middle of the sky. It scared me, afraid it could've been a missile. I tried to report it as best I saw, but I was on the road and it was in the distance so I'm not sure what it would have been directly above. It appeared and vanished in seconds, was at about a 45 degree angle coming down diagonally from the right to the left (based on my vantage point driving towards Leesburg from Ashburn). I would very much like to know what it was or if anyone else saw it. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Leesburg, VA |
| Latitude | 39° 6' 49.51'' N (39.113752°) |
| Longitude | 77° 32' 25.49'' W (-77.540415°) |
| Elevation | 97.326126m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2026-03-17 08:55 EDT |
| UT Date & Time | 2026-03-17 12:55 UT |
| Duration | ≈3.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From down left to up right |
| Descent Angle | 50° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | - |
| First azimuth | 50° |
| First elevation | 60° |
| Last azimuth | 45° |
| Last elevation | 38° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -23 |
| Color | Orange |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Duration | - |
| Length | - |
| Remarks | - |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |