We were driving alone down the mountain in rural Wyoming, no other lights or traffic or civilization to impede in our observation. There were two of us in the vehicle talking when the sky lit up. We both stopped and turned quickly to see a ball of fire with a tail fly behind us over the Yellowstone mountains. It’s something neither of us have ever seen before. We both spend a good amount of time in rural Wyoming just looking at the sky. Shooting stars and meteor showers are something we are both familiar with. Not this.
Location
Address
, WY
Latitude
44° 27' 36.01'' N (44.460003°)
Longitude
109° 33' 28.88'' W (-109.558023°)
Elevation
1773.408813m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2025-05-03 21:31 MDT
UT Date & Time
2025-05-04 03:31 UT
Duration
≈20s
Direction
Moving direction
From up right to down left
Descent Angle
239°
Moving
Facing azimuth
83.39°
First azimuth
288.64°
First elevation
40°
Last azimuth
236.09°
Last elevation
-
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-5
Color
Mostly Orange, Yellow
Concurrent Sound
Observation
Unknown
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
Unknown
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
We were driving at night through a dark tall canyon, the world lit the entire canyon up like an elongated bright lightning flash that lasted longer than what felt like it should. Like someone turned on a light switch to the outside night sky.
