There was still plenty of natural light when we saw this one as it was just before 8:00 PM. We were driving north on Rte. 17 (on the highway through low flat coastal marshland) and watched the entire event through our car windshield right ahead of us. We have never seen a fireball so low in the sky. We were almost certain that the fireball would hit the earth but it exploded slightly above the horizon in front of us.
Location
Address
McClellanville, SC
Latitude
33° 2' 45.7'' N (33.046029°)
Longitude
79° 34' 14.88'' W (-79.570799°)
Elevation
-
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2011-09-08 19:58 EDT
UT Date & Time
2011-09-08 23:58 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up right to down left
Descent Angle
225°
Moving
Facing azimuth
81.95036°
First azimuth
91.20494°
First elevation
64°
Last azimuth
57.00184°
Last elevation
22°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
1
Color
green
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Unknown
Duration
3s
Length
45°
Remarks
While the fireball was falling there was a bright green streak behind the fireball. It remained visible until the fireball exploded.
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
The fireball was very bright and predominantly white in color with some orange. When it exploded there was a white/orange flash with orange
