I have never seen anything like this. It was weird to me because usually you see things going more across the sky and much further away. This was like a bright glowing ball coming straight down. It appeared out of no where it seemed. I was driving and I could see it through my front windshield below where the roof of the car cuts off your line of sight without moving my head at all. It was a glowing white ball that seemed to get brighter and larger and then just went out and had a trail behind it like a shooting star or firework that mimics a shooting star. The glowed like orange embers and seemed to sparkle or sizzle.
Location
Address
Granite Falls, NC
Latitude
35° 48' 11.58'' N (35.803216°)
Longitude
81° 31' 48.8'' W (-81.530222°)
Elevation
362.087769m
Time and Duration
Local Date & Time
2026-01-18 23:45 EST
UT Date & Time
2026-01-19 04:45 UT
Duration
≈7.5s
Direction
Moving direction
From up to down
Descent Angle
180°
Moving
Facing azimuth
131.76°
First azimuth
125.33°
First elevation
27°
Last azimuth
133.92°
Last elevation
17°
Brightness and color
Stellar Magnitude
-14
Color
White
Concurrent Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Delayed Sound
Observation
No
Remarks
-
Persistent train
Observation
Yes
Duration
3s
Length
50°
Remarks
A glowing kind of tail similar to that of a shooting star
