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(meteorobs) Fireball Report 03/21/04 7:31 pm Mountain ST: We were south of White Sulphur springs, Montana (fwd)


----------------------  Forwarded Message:  ---------------------
From:    NAMN Fireball Reports <namn@atmob.org>
Subject: Fireball Report 03/21/04 7:31 pm Mountain ST: We were south of White Sulphur springs, Montana
Date:    Mon, 22 Mar 2004 00:50:22 -0500 (EST)

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Your Town/State/Country? Harlowton, Montana USA


Date of fireball? 03/21/04


Time of fireball? 7:31 pm Mountain ST


What compass direction did the fireball appear from? NORTH


What compass direction did the fireball DISAPPEAR from? NORTH


How long, in seconds, were you able to see it in the sky? 1.5


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.)
  50


How many degrees off the horizon was it when it DISAPPEARED? 10


How bright did it appear?
Like a star, Venus, the Moon, or the setting Sun?
  star/moon very bright


Did it have any color(s)? White/Orangish center blue green outside as it 
fell...they were spectacular


Did it appear to fall apart as it went by? What did that look like?
  NO...round absolutely intact


Did it leave a persistent streak in the sky after it was gone?
How long did that last?
  Not really, more like a tear shape flameball with a solid round center core.


How fast did it move? Use a 1 to 5 scale, 1 being
VERY slow, and 5 being extremely quick.
  6


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?
  We were south of White Sulphur springs, Montana


Please put any additional remarks, sketches, drawings, etc. below:
  The sun had set were we were, the mountains to the north were barely visible 
and the mountains to the West were still rimmed by the setting sun.We were 
traveling north, 7 or 8 miles south of White Sulphur Springs, Montana. We were 
the only car on the highway and there were NO other light sources other than WSS 
in the distance. The fireball appeared high in the northern sky and fell 
straight down until it disappeared below the mountain range on the northern 
horizon. From our vantage point, it appeared to fall in a straight line, top to 
bottom.
It was magnificent, white/orange center and blue/green on the outside as it made 
its descent. My wife guesses that it lasted 3 seconds and my first guess was a 
second and half. The most spectacular thing about it though, was its size. It 
was huge. It dwarfed the mountain peaks (20 or 30 miles distant)when it fell 
beneath the horizon. To put it in perspective, imagine sitting in a suburban and 
a volleyall falling right in front of you on the hood. 
Both my wife and I were lucky enough to view this. I spent 10 years traveling 
and camping in the north and have seen fireballs, meteor showers and some 
incredible aurora borealis shows but never anything this big. The fireballs that 
i have seen in comparison would rate as pea or golfball size. This was 
volleyball/basketball size, easy.
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