I was laying on my back watching Geminids. I had Jupiter to the left and the Big Dipper to the right. The fireball came from the SW/SSW and terminated basically right on top of the Geminid radiant point. My friend and I both had our cameras running. He caught a part of this fireball in one exposure. I checked my camera (aimed just above the fireballs trail) and I had missed it but I lowered the camera and started photographing the persistent train. That train was visible for an hour according to my EXIF data. I am waiting for the fireball image from my friend and I will send that to you along with the images from my camera.
Location
Address
Pollock Pines, CA
Latitude
38° 48' 0.82'' N (38.800227°)
Longitude
120° 21' 14.69'' W (-120.354081°)
Elevation
1729.617065m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2013-12-14 04:52 PST
UT Date & Time
2013-12-14 12:52 UT
Duration
≈1.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From left to right
Descent Angle
90°
Moving
Facing azimuth
283.86°
First azimuth
227.28°
First elevation
20°
Last azimuth
267.13°
Last elevation
11°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-20
Color
Blue, Green, Orange, Yellow
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
The train was visible to naked eye for 10 minutes or so then I continued to photograph the train for an hour while attempting to catch Geminids. This event was not Geminid related it was a sporadic fireball. I don't want to guess on the length but you can judge for yourself from my pictures. I will send you pictures of the train. As it dispersed it grew larger and larger. The first image of the train (taken within approx. 2 minutes of the fireball) was the general size of the termination event.
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
Fireball was leaving a multicolored trail of sparks then ended with a flash. No fragmentation was seen.
