Reports Report 1528kf (Event 1528-2012)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dick F |
| Experience Level | 5/5 |
| Remarks | Regarding the bolide: I was actually staring at precisely the right part of the sky at precisely the right time. The location was Grey Pine Flat in Lake Sonoma Recreation Area - about 100 miles north of SF. Darkness was mag 5.5 at zenith. Time was about 7:45pm (not quite astronomical twightlight). It was a slow mover. It appeared as a shooting star in the SSW about 15 deg above the horizon. It moved due east. It brightened as it moved. After 3 seconds it started to disintegrate in two phases. The first phase saw a \"shower of sparks\" lasting about 0.5 seconds. The second phase immediately followed the first phase. In the second phase, it broke up into about 2 dozen major pieces. The second phase lasted about 0.5 seconds. During the first phase the brightness increased to the equivalent of maybe 3 full moons in the Grey Pine parking lot. Immediately upon initiation of the second phase, the brightness started decreasing. It appeared that immediately after breakup during the second phase, the pieces began to arc downwards along parabolic paths and started to simultaneously rapidly dim. The final location was probably S to SSE. Again it appeared to be a slow mover and lasted about 4 seconds total. During the whole transit it appeared to be going level at about 15 degrees above the horizon, until the final breakup. It was VERY impressive. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Lake Sonoma Recreation Area, CA |
| Latitude | 38° 42' 50.31'' N (38.713976°) |
| Longitude | 123° 1' 52.47'' W (-123.031243°) |
| 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 left to right |
| Descent Angle | 90° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 182.03704° |
| First azimuth | 222.10645° |
| First elevation | 16° |
| Last azimuth | 166.88026° |
| Last elevation | 15° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | 1 |
| Color | white to pale orange-yell |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | No sound. |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Duration | -1s |
| Length | -1° |
| Remarks | - |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | After 3 seconds of flight it started to disintegrate in two phases. The first phase saw a \"shower of sparks\" lasting about 0.5 seconds. The second phase immediately followed the first phase. In the second phase, it broke up into about 2 dozen major pieces. The second phase lasted about 0.5 seconds. During the first phase the brightness increased to the equivalent of maybe 3 full moons in the Grey Pine parking lot. Immediately upon initiation of the second phase, the brightness started decreasing. It appeared that immediately after breakup during the second phase, the pieces began to arc downwards along parabolic paths and started to simultaneously rapidly dim. The final location was probably S to SSE. Again it appeared to be a slow mover and lasted about 4 seconds total. During the whole transit it appeared to be going level at about 15 degrees above the horizon, until the final breakup. It was VERY impressive. |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | - |