This was the most spectacular thing I've ever seen in the sky in my 59 years of life. Lasted several seconds, long enough to alert my wife to "look at that!" And then an explosion and fragments. Amazing.
Location
Address
Cedar Rapids, IA
Latitude
41° 57' 48.91'' N (41.963585°)
Longitude
91° 33' 10.23'' W (-91.552842°)
Elevation
228.078979m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2026-01-01 18:16 CST
UT Date & Time
2026-01-02 00:16 UT
Duration
≈3.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up left to down right
Descent Angle
170°
Moving
Facing azimuth
175°
First azimuth
165°
First elevation
34°
Last azimuth
173.01°
Last elevation
11°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-19
Color
Green
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
No
Duration
-
Length
-
Remarks
-
Terminal flash
Observation
Yes
Remarks
2/3 of the way down, a bright flash, and then it fragmented
