Reports Report 667abp (Event 667-2013)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Jeff S |
| Experience Level | 3/5 |
| Remarks | I had no knowledge of this prior to my experience, although I have since learned that probably thousands were watching in hopes of seeing it, as a Washington Post article gave people a heads up about it. I have watched meteor showers for several decades (only casually) and seen hundreds of meteorites (shooting stars) in my life, but only a handful have ever been big or close. This was incomparable to anything I have ever seen. It was the only time I ever heard one, was the first one I could actually see the object, and the only one that was colorful. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Upper Marlboro, MD |
| Latitude | 38° 46' 52.52'' N (38.781255°) |
| Longitude | 76° 43' 9.56'' W (-76.719323°) |
| Elevation | 11.954823m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2013-03-22 19:53 EDT |
| UT Date & Time | 2013-03-22 23:53 UT |
| Duration | ≈1.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From up left to down right |
| Descent Angle | 135° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 34.09° |
| First azimuth | 61.33° |
| First elevation | 15° |
| Last azimuth | 65.52° |
| Last elevation | 5° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -20 |
| Color | Orange, Green, Blue (in order) |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | I don't know for sure what I saw, or heard, but it may have been something other than the main fireball. Although sound travels slower than light, what I thought I heard was the meteorite that I saw. I had been standing in a very quiet rural area, listening intently for birds (I am an avid birder), and could hear everything very clearly. I could hear ducks, geese, and even some songbirds as they passed by (both the sound of wind passing over their wings when wings are held stiff, and/or the sound made by wings when they flap). I heard it before I saw it, as it came from behind the direction I was facing and flew more or less over me, VERY quickly. Then I saw the fireball and its trail. It was deep orange and then turned to green and blue, then lost color. I could actually see the object, and it appeared to be very close (LOW!) but it may have been much higher than I realize (tens of miles?). It was arcing downward, and the trajectory seemed like a course bound for somewhere near by, but I heard nothing else (no crash). |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Duration | 2s |
| Length | 10° |
| Remarks | It was flashy (sparkled) |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |