I have never seen anything that appeared so bright and close. I first thought of what it might have hit upon landing. I have studied meteorology in my degree and my current career.
Location
Address
Oak Lawn, IL
Latitude
41° 43' 1.54'' N (41.717094°)
Longitude
87° 43' 27.78'' W (-87.724382°)
Elevation
189.398m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2017-12-18 23:50 CST
UT Date & Time
2017-12-19 05:50 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From down left to up right
Descent Angle
7°
Moving
Facing azimuth
6.05°
First azimuth
61.18°
First elevation
65°
Last azimuth
15.36°
Last elevation
-
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-18
Color
Orange, White
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Medium to high pitch siren sound
Persistent train
Observation
Unknown
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Got much brighter at the last second I saw it.
Fragmentation
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Appeared to have Sparks falling around and behind it.
