NUFORC Sighting 103159

Occurred: 2013-10-11 23:15 Local
Reported: 2013-10-11 22:03 Pacific
Duration: 2 seconds
No of observers: 5

Location: Pinckney, MI, USA

Shape: Fireball
Characteristics: Aura or haze around object, Left a trail, Aircraft nearby

Large orange fireball observed over Hell, Michigan, traveling from due south to due north directly overhead.

There were 6 adults and 2 children sitting around a camp fire at approximately 11:15 pm on October 11, 2013, when I happened to look up a see what at first appeared as a piece of 8-1/2 x 11 paper floating up from the fire and into a maple tree to my north. Four other adult sitting with me saw this at the same time.

If this was a meteor at a high altitude it was very large. The size, as I said, looked like a burning piece of paper about 40 ft off the ground. It appeared to have two buring spots near the center almost touching and light orange in color. These two spheres were ejecting what I would describe as a coronal mass ejection in a blue green color. This seemed to surround each sphere and trail off behind it, but not like a long tailed meteor. Probably a 3 to 1 ratio of width to length.

It was traveling from the south to the north. We were only able to see it for a couple of seconds because of our looking up between two trees.

We jumped up to try to see if it was going to crash but buy the time we ran around the trees it was out of sight. It made no sound what so ever. There were several planes in the air in our view at this same time after realizing that it wasn't burning paper thought that maybe a plane was going to crash.

Again, no sound following its disappearance: This was no plane and not a normal meteor like I have had many occasions to view.

Posted 2013-10-14