2003-12-31 - Sacramento, CA - Oval

Bright oval shaped object, flameing center, large tail, varying magnitude, moving across sky rapidly.

I was gazing out towards the East horizon, a large bright object appeared like out of a dark veil from the south - east, at a low altitude, apox. 25 or 30 degrees above the horizon. The object was oval shaped, laying horizontal, it's top side was bright, and bottom side was bright, the center front to back was like a white flame, not as bright as it's top and bottom. A bright comet tail followed the object, apox. ten times the length of the object. The objects diameter was as large as a cargo plane (maybe two or three degrees across, 1.5 degrees from top to bottom). The object traveled from the south east to north east, that is, it changed bearing and from traveling north on the east horizon, to a north-east-north direction. It vanished into another veil of darkness. My estimation of speed is that it traveled perhaps 1000 mp-minute. Based on a apox. est of distance in feet, measured in time traveled. The event lasted about 6 seconds, taking a guess.