Remarks | The Fireball appeared during an DSX-observing session. When it appeared, I was looking north (Big Dipper) and noticed a very bright light in the upper left of my field of view. Thus I could follow the fireball just immediately after its appearance. It was shining bluish-turquaz, the max. brightness was about the first 10–15° of the path, then dimming. Towards the end it dropped suddenly below "fireball brightness" (as if it was switched off, i.e. presumably after the end of the air ionization path) and a short chain of about 4 "stars" in a row were seen (brightness between approx. +1 and +3 mag). The total length of the path was about 50°. Approx. Coordinates (RA and Decl) of Start and End: from 23h00m+60° to 00h35m+14°. After the observation, I was not sure if the the fireball (at the beginning, before I looked directly at it) lit up the landscape with its bluish shine (like a flash). If this was the case, it should have been brighter than the full moon, since the nearly last-quarter moon was up in the east litting up itself the landscape (for my observation I had blocked it behind a tree). Brightness comparison with the moon was very difficult because of the difference of the phenomenon (glaring "ball" vs. lunar disc!). I estimated the duration to about 3 sec. I was surprised that no train was left. |
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