It was extremely bright and arced across the sky. We assumed it was an emergency flare but it was a calm night so an emergency seemed unlikely. We are accustomed to watching fireworks from this vantage point and it was brighter than fireworks. It fizzled out after the arc and we waited for something else to happen, but nothing did.
Location
Address
Berkeley, CA
Latitude
37° 52' 5.75'' N (37.868264°)
Longitude
122° 19' 2.56'' W (-122.317379°)
Elevation
-
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2012-10-17 19:45 PDT
UT Date & Time
2012-10-18 02:45 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From right to left
Descent Angle
270°
Moving
Facing azimuth
261.40175°
First azimuth
246.04071°
First elevation
60°
Last azimuth
283.51578°
Last elevation
49°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-13
Color
white
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
2s
Length
30°
Remarks
We thought it was an emergency flare sent out by a boat on the Bay. It behaved like an emergency flare.
