Was going on a night run when I thought I saw a bright airplane that was on fire, then I noticed almost instantly that it was a meteor. I observed it get bright and then fragment into smaller pieces and then disappeared into the darkness. I've seen motors before as tiny little streaks but this is the first time I saw one that actually looked larger than average. The duration felt like 4-5 seconds too.
Location
Address
Modesto, CA
Latitude
37° 38' 57.34'' N (37.649262°)
Longitude
121° 2' 56.99'' W (-121.049164°)
Elevation
22.868458m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2026-03-25 22:03 PDT
UT Date & Time
2026-03-26 05:03 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up left to down right
Descent Angle
94°
Moving
Facing azimuth
220°
First azimuth
220°
First elevation
40°
Last azimuth
221°
Last elevation
38°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-20
Color
Orange, Yellow, White
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
It was almost a little flare at first and then little flash which then fragmented
Fragmentation
Observation
Yes
Remarks
It turned to multiple little meteors when it got really bright
