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Remarks |
I was with 50 visitors to a viewing event. At least 3/4 saw the very long (5-7 second) event. The video is from a source near St. Louis (not me). Social media reports another simultaneous sighting in the area. As the object streaked brightly, it suddenly jumped in brightness for a moment before continuing well after the "burp" (as shown in the video). I'm a veteran night viewer. I've seen a lot of meteor showers and I know bright magnitudes from watching many Iridium flares. At the peak (burp), this object was MUCH brighter than Venus and the best ISS passes. For the long, bright section, it was distinctly brighter than Venus or the ISS. I'd say a -5 long section and a -5.5 to -6.0 burp. One upper limit to the magnitude: At the Bortle 1 site we were viewing from (just before the end of astronomical twilight), the brightest part of the flare _didn't_ light up the viewers and the ground. I have seen a meteor illuminate the people watching it. (I missed that meteor.) |
