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Remarks |
June 13, 2023 3:57 a.m. Walked outside from a brightly lit house looking for my cat Willy. I had been outside for about 45 seconds and was facing east. The weather was warm and clear but the skies were very hazy with a few low, fast-moving clouds. I was suddenly startled when my yard and neighborhood was suddenly brightly illuminated and trees were casting very distinct shadows. I verbally said "What the shit?" thinking for a fraction of a second the light was from a lightning bolt. Because the shadows were cast in an eastward direction, I turned quickly toward the west to see a very bright meteor, bright orange in color, moving rapidly toward the southwest from a point about 35-40 degrees above the western horizon, leaving fragments behind as it fell. I would estimate the brightness of the meteor to be approximately magnitude -8 (Venus is ca. -4 and the full moon is ca. -12). The flash of light startled me, and unfortunately I missed part of the fall because I was facing away from it. This is one of the brightest meteors I've seen in my lifetime. Approximately 30 seconds after it faded from view, I heard a distinctive though distant sonic boom that caused several of the neighborhood dogs to start barking. Based on the observed traits, I suspect that fragments of this meteor impacted the ground to the southwest of my location [in Mexico]. - J. Boyd
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