Fireball, space debris, or unknown object .
I originally noticed a flash in my peripheral vision on the right as I was heading east on Washington Street at 12:50 AM. I consulted a cell phone for the exact time. Immediately following the original flash,which caught my attention, I looked to the SW and noticed an extremely bright fireball slowly coursing the sky towards the south. As I watched, orange sparks and chunks appeared to fall away from the main train. The train stayed a constant length until the object disappeared behind the low hills to the south. When it reached this point, a brilliant flash appeared, lighting the southern sky, the way it does when a lightning strike occurs some distance away, on a locally clear night. This was different than anything I've witnessed before, and as I've enjoyed astronomy for years, I have witnessed many things in the night sky. It was brighter and bigger, with a longer and more solid looking train, than any other meteor I've previously seen. The train did not! smoke, but was rather a solid sheet of light, as bright as sunlight on chrome, following behind the object or fireball.
I originally noticed a flash in my peripheral vision on the right as I was heading east on Washington Street at 12:50 AM. I consulted a cell phone for the exact time. Immediately following the original flash,which caught my attention, I looked to the SW and noticed an extremely bright fireball slowly coursing the sky towards the south. As I watched, orange sparks and chunks appeared to fall away from the main train. The train stayed a constant length until the object disappeared behind the low hills to the south. When it reached this point, a brilliant flash appeared, lighting the southern sky, the way it does when a lightning strike occurs some distance away, on a locally clear night. This was different than anything I've witnessed before, and as I've enjoyed astronomy for years, I have witnessed many things in the night sky. It was brighter and bigger, with a longer and more solid looking train, than any other meteor I've previously seen. The train did not! smoke, but was rather a solid sheet of light, as bright as sunlight on chrome, following behind the object or fireball.
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Off
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes
Baker City
USA
10 seconds
10 seconds
44.78
-117.83
fireball
OR
Occurred : 8/19/2011 00:50 (Entered as : 08/19/11 00:50) Reported: 8/19/2011 5:31:21 PM 17:31 Posted: 8/21/2011 Location: Baker City, OR Shape: Fireball Duration: 10 seconds Characteristics: The object left a trail
Fireball, space debris, or unknown object .