My daughter and I were in the back yard waiting to see the meteor showers and both of us witnessed this phenomenal event. Out of the blue this enormous fireball came streaming directly down over my neighbors house. We were both very attentive to the sky and all of a sudden it appeared to our right. It had the brightest ball of fire and a long tail. It had a loud crackling sound as it traveled towards the ground. We actually thought it had to hit the ground since it was so low and close to us. What an incredible sight to see.
Location
Address
Bradenton, FL
Latitude
27° 24' 21.47'' N (27.405965°)
Longitude
82° 23' 27.32'' W (-82.390921°)
Elevation
14.936m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2014-05-24 02:00 EDT
UT Date & Time
2014-05-24 06:00 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up right to down left
Descent Angle
225°
Moving
Facing azimuth
228.72°
First azimuth
161.21°
First elevation
33°
Last azimuth
41.5°
Last elevation
11°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-24
Color
Light Yellow, White
Concurrent Sound
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Crackling sounds of fire, sizzling.
Delayed Sound
Observation
Yes
Remarks
After a few seconds that it disappeared, I heard what sounded like a thunder boom.
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
The flash was extremely bright, like a fireball and crackling like fire.
