Reports Report 2016bj (Event 2016-2026)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Chris M |
| Experience Level | 5/5 |
| Remarks | I only caught the tail end of what seemed like a bright fireball. Its direction of travel was approximately from Denebola toward Lambda Hydrae or Nu Hydrae. From past experience, I would guess the full streak went from at least Leo to Hydra but I only saw the breakup, which occurred in Hydra. Note: the fragmentation looked a bit like amateur fireworks, apart from the fact that the direction of travel was downward. If this is a genuine fireball siting, there should be multiple reports, including video. If there are none, then my report should be discarded as likely firework. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | San Francisco, CA |
| Latitude | 37° 44' 11.97'' N (37.736657°) |
| Longitude | 122° 30' 6.66'' W (-122.50185°) |
| Elevation | 17.683729m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2026-03-22 20:17 PDT |
| UT Date & Time | 2026-03-23 03:17 UT |
| Duration | ≈1.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From up left to down right |
| Descent Angle | 130° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 120° |
| First azimuth | 100° |
| First elevation | 29° |
| Last azimuth | 130° |
| Last elevation | 5° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -9 |
| Color | Mostly white, perhaps some blue. {Note: I am somewhat colorblind} |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Duration | - |
| Length | - |
| Remarks | - |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | No extremely bright flash seen, only fragmentation. |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | Fragmented into perhaps 8 pieces. Looked a bit like images of the breakup of Mir, 20+ years ago (but fewer pieces) |