Reports Report 143f (Event 143-2015)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cassie T |
| Experience Level | 3/5 |
| Remarks | The fireball distinctly looked like a ball of flames- so much so that I thought for a split second it was a plane on fire. The core was a lighter yellow, surrounded by red-orange flames, and leaving a distinct glowing trail. The trail, however, did not look like the trail left by a plane and was part of what made me realize it was a fireball and not a plane on fire. By the time I pointed it out and my husband saw, it had already fragmented and he thought at first it was glowing paper lanterns. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Morgantown, WV |
| Latitude | 39° 37' 31.05'' N (39.625292°) |
| Longitude | 79° 59' 25.48'' W (-79.990411°) |
| Elevation | 283.177521m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2015-01-16 20:42 EST |
| UT Date & Time | 2015-01-17 01:42 UT |
| Duration | ≈3.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From up right to down left |
| Descent Angle | 187° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 117° |
| First azimuth | 120.86° |
| First elevation | 31° |
| Last azimuth | 123.42° |
| Last elevation | 21° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -6 |
| Color | Orange, Yellow, Red |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Duration | 4s |
| Length | 4° |
| Remarks | A glowing train, the width of the fireball at the source, thinning to a point. Color was a fainter reddish-yellow. Similar hue as the fireball, but much fainter. |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | Fireball split into two pieces of approximately equal size (lower one slightly larger than higher one). Each piece was a little less than half as dim as the original whole. Trail did not continue once the fragmentation occurred. |