2010-07-04 - Columbus, NE - Fireball

I took my son to the store about 9:00 pm on the evening of July 4th, 2010. We left the store around 10:15 pm. My store receipt reads that we checked out at 22:10:13.

It was the fourth of July and there were many fireworks in the area. We were driving west. As we turned south toward our neighborhood, I noticed a red and orange fireball just above the trees to the west. It seemed to have a red center with a orange misty glow around it. It was about the height of a street light and from our point of view, the outer glow looked like the size of a basketball. It was difficult to tell if the "glow" was part of object or due to viewing it through the windshield.

I traveled a block south and turned west on a street toward our neighborhood. I turned a street earlier than I usually do to get a better look at the object. When I came to the next intersection, 1/2 block distance, we saw the object above a house to the south. We turned south. I told my 11 year old son to keep an eye on it as I drove.

I traveled the length of two more blocks (still going south) and then turned west again. The object was now above the houses on the south side of the west bound street. We drove two blocks to our house. I pulled into the driveway. My husband was in the yard with the kids. I jumped out of the car and pointed it out to my husband. It was south of our house in the sky at about a 45 degree angle and getting small but still too bright to be a star - and it was orange red.

We watched it get smaller assuming it was getting further away. It took several minutes before it disappeared.

I went inside and the family continued to shoot fireworks. I would estimate I was in the house ten minutes when my son came in and said "Dad needs you." When I asked why, my son said, "The orange light is back". Sure enough. In the same spot it disappeared it appeared again It looked like a very bright orange star. I watched it for several minutes then came inside. My husband reported it moved slightly to the west and then grew small and disappeared again.

What drew our attention to the object was the fourth of July fireworks in our area. As we were driving home and nearing our neighborhood, we were watching the fireworks. A large firework in that area lit off but this orange ball didn't move. We expected it to explode and it didn't. At first I thought it was a street light on fire or a fire in the trees. Then as it floated above the houses, I wondered if it were a parachute type firework that was on fire and I was concerned about where it was going to land.

When we first saw it, it was floating about the height of the street light and below the trees. It climbed to float above a one story house. Soon it was above the larger two story houses and when we finally saw it in the distance it seemed to be very high in the sky.

We zigzagged in a south and west pattern to our home. The object seemed to move south - southwest. My vehicle was moving slowly at a 15 mph estimated speed. The object moved ahead of us and I would assume it moved a quicker speed than our vehicle, but not much given that it dissected our route.