Reports Report 1916a (Event 1916-2024)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pieter S |
| Experience Level | 4/5 |
| Remarks | Upon entry, where the thud occured, my dogs came running outside to where I was standing to see what was happening. I am of the impression this could be a man made object, or other soft metal from space, based on the colour of the flash and rate of decay. This was not a firework, nor thunder and lightning, even though it was a rainy cloudy evening. The after effect of the entry and trail was a solid line that could be clearly seen in the cloudy moonlit sky. I was looking at the moon through the clouds when the entry occured. Also, from where I usually observe meteors, they occur to the east and south. This one was North from where I am. I am aware that rainy cloudy weather is not ideal for observing anything celestial but it happened while I was having a cigarette looking at the moon. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Pretoria, Gauteng (ZA) |
| Latitude | 25° 46' 24.75'' S (-25.773541°) |
| Longitude | 28° 13' 51.58'' E (28.230995°) |
| Elevation | 1395.540771m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2024-03-20 22:45 SAST |
| UT Date & Time | 2024-03-20 20:45 UT |
| Duration | ≈3.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From down left to up right |
| Descent Angle | 5° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 7° |
| First azimuth | 65° |
| First elevation | 80° |
| Last azimuth | 7° |
| Last elevation | 9° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -7 |
| Color | White |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | it was kind of like a thud. Like a rubber mallet hitting a brick wall. The colour of the flash suggests to me it was metallic. very bright white. not like the usual falling stars I have witnessed. |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Duration | 5s |
| Length | 2° |
| Remarks | the smoke disappeared quickly. I am assuming that it might have been steam since it is a rainy cloudy evening. |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | there was a very bright initial flash and then as it moved towards the ground, became dimmer to the point where it was not glowing anymore |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |