Reports Report 2125a (Event 2125-2015)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Stewart D |
| Experience Level | 4/5 |
| Remarks | This is the brightest object that I have ever observed, and the fastest, save fleeting meteors in full darkness. It was dusk, the sky was still well lit in the west, and I had a panoramic view through a large windshield and the object was much brighter than the lighter sky as it entered my field of view from behind me (I was headed due south) and flashed nearly as bright as the sun about 20 degrees above the horizon, against a darker and cloudless background, continuing a trail for a few more degrees. The object was coming from the north, headed about 15 degrees east of due south. Spectacular colors ranging from blue-green to blue-white, with a reddish tint to the trail made it impossible to miss. It covered my entire field of view in little more than a second; I witnessed the entire even without blinking. There was no traffic, so I stopped and listened for 5 minutes for any sound, but heard nothing. It appeared to me to be headed out towards the Gulf of Mexico, and was far too bright and fast to be a man-made object re-entering the atmosphere. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | La Porte, TX |
| Latitude | 29° 42' 53.8'' N (29.714945°) |
| Longitude | 95° 5' 22.77'' W (-95.089658°) |
| Elevation | 8.737199m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2015-09-03 19:55 CDT |
| UT Date & Time | 2015-09-04 00:55 UT |
| Duration | ≈1.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From up right to down left |
| Descent Angle | 194° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 180° |
| First azimuth | 180° |
| First elevation | 55° |
| Last azimuth | 165.43° |
| Last elevation | 13° |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -23 |
| Color | Light Blue |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Duration | 0.25s |
| Length | 10° |
| Remarks | a glowing bright trail following the brighter blue ball |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | The object increased greatly in brightness just above the horizon, but also appeared to continue beyond the bright flash |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Remarks | After the huge increase in brightness (a spherical flash of blue-white) there appeared to be a trail that continued down the horizon |