Stark contrast to what I've seen over the last couple decades in this location. 1) This is the second red fireball I have seen in the last couple weeks. 2) They appeared to be on the same trajectory and 3) Both times they were moving from west to east. 4) Both were low on the horizon. 5) They appeared for a much longer period of time.
Location
Address
Porterville, CA
Latitude
36° 3' 44.12'' N (36.062255°)
Longitude
119° 4' 18.87'' W (-119.071909°)
Elevation
127.496109m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2024-12-28 18:00 PST
UT Date & Time
2024-12-29 02:00 UT
Duration
≈45s
Direction
Moving direction
From up right to down left
Descent Angle
268°
Moving
Facing azimuth
190°
First azimuth
230°
First elevation
27°
Last azimuth
170°
Last elevation
23°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-24
Color
Orange, Red
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
10s
Length
10°
Remarks
Glowing, bright red-orange, tapering short trails. Lights faded within about 10 seconds.
Terminal flash
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Fragmentation
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Wide in height, not very long, appeared to be fragmenting into at least three chunks with one behind the lead and another just below the lead.
