Reports Report 454ok (Event 454-2017)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Marc S |
| Experience Level | 4/5 |
| Remarks | I had a perfect view. I was standing looking out my window when the sky lit up so brightly I thought it was emergency light, then in the upper left of the window I watched it descend. Never been this close before. I know the news says it hit Lake Michigan, but from the nearly vertical angle, I was convinced it hit the farmland behind my home. I was so convinced, I got in the car and drove N on Dilleys Rd looking for burning grass or smoke. It was very foggy so I found nothing, but I really don't see how it could have made it to Lake Michigan from my perspective. The fireball color shift of everyone else's report tells me I was closer. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Wadsworth, IL |
| Latitude | 42° 24' 34.95'' N (42.409707°) |
| Longitude | 87° 56' 43.53'' W (-87.945425°) |
| Elevation | 217.745m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2017-02-06 01:24 CST |
| UT Date & Time | 2017-02-06 07:24 UT |
| Duration | ≈7.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From up left to down right |
| Descent Angle | 167° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 359.8° |
| First azimuth | 358.65° |
| First elevation | 90° |
| Last azimuth | 7.63° |
| Last elevation | - |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -26 |
| Color | Orange |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | I was looking directly out a 2x2 ft window and it came into view at the upper left corner at approx 1:24 am. It was bright flaming orange with a white hot trail. I thought it hit the ground near me because I followed it down to the horizon behind my trees. The sound was a boom BEFORE it passed behind my trees near the horizon (like a sonic boom). I threw a jacket on and jumped in my car to see where it landed because I was convinced it hit in a field behind my home. |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | A boom very close to seeing it near the horizon. It was a large orange fireball. I could literally see the fireball churning and smoking. Never saw anything like it before except in movies. |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Duration | 5s |
| Length | 20° |
| Remarks | Glowing white train with large orange churning fireball at the head. I could see it smoke |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |