Reports Report 3355k (Event 3355-2013)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | James M |
| Experience Level | 1/5 |
| Remarks | I am an outdoorsman and former hunting guide. Experienced observing nature, but not astronomy. I left my farmhouse at just after 1am to take my dog for a long walk to enjoy the moonlight. I have never reported a sighting before though I have observed many fireballs. This object was traveling at an incredible rate of speed and appeared to be very close to earth. As I mentioned before I first thought that I was viewing a missile. The angle of travel did not change, nor did it appear to lose any altitude or travel closer to the earth. As compared to all other fireballs that I have seen, this one piqued my curiosity and caused me to look for any other reports. On account of this, I found your site and am making this report. Thank you and best regards. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Washburn, TN |
| Latitude | 36° 17' 41.49'' N (36.294858°) |
| Longitude | 83° 35' 0.16'' W (-83.583377°) |
| Elevation | 427.403412m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2013-12-18 01:40 EST |
| UT Date & Time | 2013-12-18 06:40 UT |
| Duration | ≈1.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From left to right |
| Descent Angle | 90° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 136.68° |
| First azimuth | 85.71° |
| First elevation | 21° |
| Last azimuth | 249.9° |
| Last elevation | 21° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -18 |
| Color | Orange |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Duration | 3s |
| Length | 25° |
| Remarks | It was a smoke trail that dissipated over about 3 seconds. This fireball appeared incredibly close to earth as opposed to others that I have seen. My first impression was that it was a missile/cruise missile. |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |