Reports Report 1226d (Event 1226-2012)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Patricia S |
| Experience Level | 1/5 |
| Remarks | This was one of the oddest things I have ever seen in the sky. It didn\'t strike me as a meteor initially, but it was far too fast to be from an airplane or a drone. I remember it so well, I could draw the line it made in the sky. It was laser sharp, orange and made a few zig zags. After about 5 or so seconds, the end split into 2 orange circles and disappeared. I was in my yard with my dogs a little after 2am with no outdoor lights on. I am on a hill over looking most of the trees, so I have a fantastic view of the sky. Whatever this was fell slightly at about a 10-15 degree angle but for the most part looked like it was moving horizontally away from the left side of the moon. The sky was completely clear and the moon was incredibly bright. The only think I have seen online that is similar would be what happened over Phoenix last year. http://youtu.be/Du-SEOZUarg |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Gaithersburg, MD |
| Latitude | 39° 6' 59.37'' N (39.116493°) |
| Longitude | 77° 14' 31.58'' W (-77.242105°) |
| Elevation | - |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2012-08-30 02:10 EDT |
| UT Date & Time | 2012-08-30 06:10 UT |
| Duration | ≈3.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From left to right |
| Descent Angle | 90° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | -1° |
| First azimuth | -1° |
| First elevation | 45° |
| Last azimuth | -1° |
| Last elevation | 36° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -11 |
| Color | orange |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | No sound at all. |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Duration | 5s |
| Length | 12° |
| Remarks | No change in color and no fuzzy smoke train. It was a laser sharp line from beginning to end. It slightly zig zagged, moved very fast at a slight downward angle (though still mostly horizontal), then broke into 2 circles and disappeared. |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | after about 5 seconds, the southern end of the line split into 2 circles and disappeared. |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Unknown |
| Remarks | - |