Reports Report 7a (Event 7-2003)
| Observer | |
|---|---|
| Name | Maria S |
| Experience Level | 3/5 |
| Remarks | I am not positive of the date but I know it was late-ish in summer 2003 sometime around 10:30PM on a warm, clear night. I was sitting in the dark in the grass, chatting with my friend, and we could not see any lights. Suddenly, a giant (many times bigger than a full moon) bright light appeared in the sky. It began around the height of the trees to my right, traveled across the sky almost overhead (I remember having to look up as it passed over/in front of us), continued across the sky and either disappeared behind the trees or possibly ended about tree level on the left. I will never forget it and tried for some time (unsuccessfully) to find out if anyone else saw this. It was so incredibly big and bright, it seems as if anyone outside anywhere in the area at all, even in well lit areas, could not possibly have missed it. The light seemed to be a giant trail across the sky, not as bright as the main light, but not faint by any means. I would say it looked like and incredibly massive shooting star beyond all belief. My friend asked me if it was the end of the world and I did wonder if it really was the end. |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Address | Binghamton, NY |
| Latitude | 42° 7' 40.62'' N (42.127949°) |
| Longitude | 75° 48' 36.62'' W (-75.810172°) |
| Elevation | 331.422m |
| Time and Duration | |
|---|---|
| Local Date & Time | 2003-08-15 20:30 EDT |
| UT Date & Time | 2003-08-16 00:30 UT |
| Duration | ≈7.5s |
| Direction | |
|---|---|
| Moving direction | From down left to up right |
| Descent Angle | 87° |
| Moving | |
|---|---|
| Facing azimuth | 100° |
| First azimuth | 122.38° |
| First elevation | - |
| Last azimuth | 4.56° |
| Last elevation | - |
| Brightness and color | |
|---|---|
| Stellar Magnitude | -12 |
| Color | Yellow, Light Yellow, White |
| Concurrent Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Delayed Sound | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |
| Persistent train | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Yes |
| Duration | 10s |
| Length | 99.99° |
| Remarks | A glowing train followed through the sky, and I believe filled most of the trail across sky after the fireball portion. It was around the width of the fireball itself and very bright, didn't look like particles to me but more like the trail of a big, bright, long shooting star (which I love to observe in the summertime ever since I was a little child). I was in so much shock at the whole experience that I don't recall it changing or going away, but I know within a little while after the fireball itself, that the night was back to peaceful darkness as if nothing had ever happened. |
| Terminal flash | |
|---|---|
| Observation | Unknown |
| Remarks | - |
| Fragmentation | |
|---|---|
| Observation | No |
| Remarks | - |