NationStates Jolt Archive

I saw something really cool last night.

About 9:15 PM (Eastern US time), I took my dogs outside to take care of some doggy business. While they were busy, I was looking up at the sky (I'm an astronomy fan, and Mars has been pretty spectacular the last few nights, if you haven't noticed), when I saw a very bright flash. An incredibly bright shooting star streaked across the sky, heading roughly north-northwest - for about half a second, it lit things up nearly as bright as daylight. It left a glowing trail behind it that faded from orange to red to black in about three or four seconds.

I've seen shooting stars before, but this was by far the brightest one I've ever seen. I'm thinking it must have been a fair-sized meteor, although I can't rule out an old satellite falling out of orbit.

Anyway, it was pretty impressive, and if it was that bright, it was probably visible over a fairly wide area.

:D

Fireballs, like the one you've described, aren't that common. You'll probably see appeals from astronomers in the local press over the next few days (assuming you're not living in some really remote area), as they like to gather together all the reports to track down where it landed (they usually fail though, unless it lands on ice or some other high-contrast surface).

I saw something really cool last night.

About 9:15 PM (Eastern US time), I took my dogs outside to take care of some doggy business. While they were busy, I was looking up at the sky (I'm an astronomy fan, and Mars has been pretty spectacular the last few nights, if you haven't noticed), when I saw a very bright flash. An incredibly bright shooting star streaked across the sky, heading roughly north-northwest - for about half a second, it lit things up nearly as bright as daylight. It left a glowing trail behind it that faded from orange to red to black in about three or four seconds.

I've seen shooting stars before, but this was by far the brightest one I've ever seen. I'm thinking it must have been a fair-sized meteor, although I can't rule out an old satellite falling out of orbit.

Anyway, it was pretty impressive, and if it was that bright, it was probably visible over a fairly wide area.

:D

I was in a remote backroads at night walkin with a buddy up there in Hart, Northeast Georgia. We were walkin down the dirt road headin back to the house and I think I was on the cell-phone or something, old type might I add. Well, I looked up just in time to see a bBEAUTIFUL bluish, and very bright shooting star. It looked like a blue fireball, and it lasted for about one or two seconds.

Yea, I've noticed mars for the past few weeks, its been bright lately.

I was in a remote backroads at night walkin with a buddy up there in Hart, Northeast Georgia. We were walkin down the dirt road headin back to the house and I think I was on the cell-phone or something, old type might I add. Well, I looked up just in time to see a bBEAUTIFUL bluish, and very bright shooting star. It looked like a blue fireball, and it lasted for about one or two seconds.

Yea, I've noticed mars for the past few weeks, its been bright lately.

You probably saw the same fireball that I did, then - I checked a couple of astronomy message boards, and it seems to have been visible all along the East Coast. (I'm in Durham, NC.) You can report what you saw to the American Meteor Society here: http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireball/report.html

I wish I was more of an astronomy nerd so I had more to contribute. But I don't. :( All I can say is, one time, I saw a bluish fireball thing when I was at summer camp, and it turned out to be some sort of rocket test launch or something.

I saw a shooting star when I was drunk and walking home at about 3amNZST overnight, but I don't think it was anything special.

You probably saw the same fireball that I did, then - I checked a couple of astronomy message boards, and it seems to have been visible all along the East Coast. (I'm in Durham, NC.) You can report what you saw to the American Meteor Society here: http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireball/report.html

No, no, no, no. This was years back. Lol. I think around....2002 or 3. Somewhere around there. Perhaps 04. I can't remember, but it was some odd years back.

No, no, no, no. This was years back. Lol. I think around....2002 or 3. Somewhere around there. Perhaps 04. I can't remember, but it was some odd years back.

Oh well. :D Too bad you missed this one, though - it was quite something.

Anyone care to bet how long it'll be before one of the forum's conspiracy theorists makes a suggest as to what the fireball really was?