(meteorobs) Fw: Fireball Report 5 sept 2004 20:45:17 CDT, spanish lake, MO, USA

[Mark Davis]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NAMN Fireball Reports" <namn at namnmeteors.org>
Sent: Monday, September 06, 2004 12:03 PM
Subject: Fireball Report 5 sept 2004 20:45:17 CDT, spanish lake, MO, USA


----
Your Town/State/Country? st.ann Missouri USA


Date and Time? 5 sept 2004 20:45:17 CDT


What compass direction did the fireball appear from? nne


What compass direction did the fireball DISAPPEAR from? nne


How long, in seconds, were you able to see it in the sky? 5


How many degrees off the horizon was it when it APPEARED?
(As a reference, a closed fist held at arm's length is
approximately 10 degrees.)
  75


How many degrees off the horizon was it when it DISAPPEARED? 25


How bright did it appear?
Like a star, Venus, the Moon, or the setting Sun?
  -8 magnitude


Did it have any color(s)? red, orange,  yellow


Did it appear to fall apart as it went by? What did that look like?
  some sparks. terminal flash


Did it leave a persistent streak in the sky after it was gone?
How long did that last?
  no


How fast did it move? Use a 1 to 5 scale, 1 being
VERY slow, and 5 being extremely quick.
  3


Did you hear a sound?
If yes, what was the time delay from sighting to sound?
  no


What is the closest Town/State to where you saw the fireball?
  spanish lake, MO, USA


Please put any additional remarks, sketches, drawings, etc. below:
  I was in a buddy's backyard (spanish lake, MO, USA 38.7880N, 90.2160W)
with two of their kids watching for a flare by Iridium 36 at 20:46:30 CDT 5
sept 2004. as we waited and i was showing those kids where to watch for the
flare (5 deg to the left of delphinus from our perspective)  we  witnessed,
starting near deneb (of cygnus) and streaking through cassiopeia, a very
bright,  seemingly quite large bolide. it ended in a terminal flash, its
total duration was approximately 5 sec.  the  watch in my hand was set to
CDT with error of +17 or +18 seconds,  and when i checked it about 4 seconds
after the end of the fireball,  it read 20:45:44.  I subtracted 4 seconds
and called out 20:45:40 as the time.  adjusted for watch error, this is
20:45:21 or 20:45:22, so flare began at approximately 20:45:16 or 20:45:17.
brightest meteor I have ever seen, without a doubt.  I have seen many and
the sense that they might impact the earth has been something i haven't felt
for quite a while.  this one struck that worry into me once more!  it just
kept on going and going.

its colors were mostly dark red and bright brownish-orange but there were
also bright red tongues of flame with yellow tips at about the 60% mark of
the timeline. there were three separate very bright flashes as it streaked,
and a fraction of a second of total darkness at one point.