Was at the entrance to St. Leo Church at approximately 615pm. Heard a crack and something caught my attention as it turned orange and fell in same direction as Venus (seemed like straight line from me at the church and directly towards Venus -- fell below Venus about 20-30 deg above horizon). Object was orange in color from what I saw. First thought it was fireworks but one of my sons said it was a bright meteor that streaked across sky and then broke up. I also thought I heard a crack like a firework. But I see others are reporting a meteor so I'm guessing I saw the same thing.
Location
Address
Fairfax, VA
Latitude
38° 51' 13.87'' N (38.853854°)
Longitude
77° 17' 46.9'' W (-77.296361°)
Elevation
-
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2011-12-24 18:15 EST
UT Date & Time
2011-12-24 23:15 UT
Duration
≈1.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up to down
Descent Angle
180°
Moving
Facing azimuth
243.57714°
First azimuth
236.72544°
First elevation
55°
Last azimuth
238.63185°
Last elevation
30°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
1
Color
I saw orange fragment
Concurrent Sound
Observation
Yes
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
One son and I thought we heard a crack like a firework. Initially thought this was a firework until another son said he saw a bright meteor streak across the sky very fast.
