Reports Report 157q (Event 157-2015)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sallie C |
| Experience Level | 3/5 |
| Remarks | Not good at those estimating angles. I was at mailbox at end of driveway, facing toward south on road, looked up and turned my head a bit to the right after the event caught (no, demanded) my attention. Flat fast trajectory low in sky (but over trees and houses) with breakup. Might have been multicolored. Very quick event...low end of 5-10 seconds. Time not precise...but know I left Shepherdstown main strip just after 8:35 to 8:40, and driveway to house is 5-10 minutes away. Too gobsmacked by observation...didn't think to look at time. Have seen meteors and shuttle and ISS pass overhead...nothing like this. Bigger, noticeable ball shape, very bright, with breakup into 2-4 pieces and then gone. If it had continued and gone to ground, maybe an event comparable to the recent strike near a Russian city. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Shepherdstown, WV |
| Latitude | 39° 22' 6.57'' N (39.368493°) |
| Longitude | 77° 48' 0.42'' W (-77.800117°) |
| Elevation | 149.069199m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2015-01-17 20:50 EST |
| UT Date & Time | 2015-01-18 01:50 UT |
| Duration | ≈7.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From up right to down left |
| Descent Angle | 258° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 191.86° |
| First azimuth | 75.2° |
| First elevation | 30° |
| Last azimuth | 76.62° |
| Last elevation | 25° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -20 |
| Color | Light Yellow |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Duration | - |
| Length | - |
| Remarks | - |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | Fragmented into several pieces and then disappeared. Looked like the early stages of film of Space Shuttle Columbia breakup on er entry into the atmosphere. |