When it first appeared it looked like a magnesium flare falling but within a second or two we established that it was moving at a substantial speed and at a great distance. I immediately stopped the vehicle to listen and heard nothing in the first minute. We drove a short distance to meet the rest of our party and listened again for a few more minutes. No sound was heard. I have several photos of the smoke trail taken 5-15 minutes after the event. The initial smoke trail was discontinuous along the path and within a few tens of seconds most of it disappeared. One small segment (near the termination point) remained visible and was initially aligned along the track but began to disperse in a direction normal to the track. This cloud drifted to the northeast and was visible until it got too low to the horizon.
Location
Address
Flagstaff, AZ
Latitude
35° 13' 32.04'' N (35.225566°)
Longitude
111° 33' 29.58'' W (-111.558218°)
Elevation
2059.443115m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2014-10-04 08:55 MST
UT Date & Time
2014-10-04 15:55 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up to down
Descent Angle
180°
Moving
Facing azimuth
60°
First azimuth
70°
First elevation
55°
Last azimuth
50°
Last elevation
23°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-13
Color
Yellow
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
99.99s
Length
15°
Remarks
Very brief (1-2s) glowing train followed by smoke that lasted 15-20 minutes before drifting over the horizon.
Terminal flash
Observation
Unknown
Remarks
-
Fragmentation
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Fragmentation as it traversed, a brief dimming, then brightened again just before it ended
