I can still see the entire event vividly in my mind. It was by far the largest and longest lasting fireball I have ever seen. Absolutely beautiful. I first noticed the sky flickering then the fireball appeared and was as bright (if not brighter) than the LED streetlight it was streaking past. I was actually mesmerized and took a second before I was able to speak and call attention to it. The people I was sitting with took a second to register where I was focused and there was still a substantial fireball by the time they were able to turn and look behind themselves to see it. I stood up and shifted so I could watch it until it was gone. It seemed to last an eternity.
Location
Address
Modesto, CA
Latitude
37° 39' 47.87'' N (37.663298°)
Longitude
120° 57' 38.06'' W (-120.960573°)
Elevation
33.829494m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2021-07-31 00:40 PDT
UT Date & Time
2021-07-31 07:40 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up left to down right
Descent Angle
96°
Moving
Facing azimuth
1.02°
First azimuth
354.05°
First elevation
31°
Last azimuth
48.34°
Last elevation
29°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-7
Color
Orange, Yellow, Light Yellow, White
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
1s
Length
13°
Remarks
Bright fiery tail which was focused towards the front and what appeared to be chunks of the main body which were breaking off. The tail was very well defined and visually detailed form the bright burning front which flickered and flashed as it broke apart. Some bigger chunks broke away and maintained its trajectory often having trains of their own. As it continued breaking apart the main body fed the train which dissipated until sputtering off into a haze with flecks of sparks or embers that flickered and faded away
Terminal flash
Observation
Unknown
Remarks
-
Fragmentation
Observation
Yes
Remarks
The object flashed several times as large pieces broke off and fell away. Each subsequent piece continued decaying away into smaller bits and pieces until there was a final burst/flash which dissipated until the entirety of the object and it's pieces fizzled out in the night sky.
