NUFORC Sighting 16989

Occurred: 1999-08-15 23:18 Local
Reported: 2001-03-25 00:00 Pacific
Duration: 3-5 seconds
No of observers: 1

Location: Denver (50 miles east of) on Interstate 76, CO, USA

Shape: Fireball
Characteristics: Lights on object, Left a trail

A very bright flash with a trajectory going from left to right and turning colors along the was - 3-4 seconds at most.

As I was drving west on Interstate 76, I noticed a large bright flash to my left and looked due south. There I saw in a left to right diagonal pattern a "fireball" type object that was first white, then red, green orange and then appeared to have "hit" the earth with a large white flash. The event lasted no more than 3-4 seconds. It was impossible to tell how far away it was, and I immediately thought it was a meteor that had burned up, and maybe even impacted. I turned the AM news on and in about 15 minutes, heard a new report that others had seen it too. Then the local Denver talk radio station made this event its topic for the next few hours. I called the station from a pay phone and told them what I had seen. After, I saw a newspaper article that had listed the phenomena to a meteor. I told friends and family of the event and had not really thought about it until Sat. March 24, 2001 when I was attending the Aztec UFO Symposium in Aztec NM, and a person got up and told of his sighting on the same night and same time. I was encouraged to report my sighting by one of the presenters at the symposium. My sighting was on a very clear night and with no city lights nearby to dilute the image. I don't recall the moon location or if it was visible. I have seen many meteors in my life as I have always regularly wathched the Persiods showers and other events, but have never seen a flash, colors and trajectory as I did that night in August 1999. My backrgound is I have a masters degree and am the Director of a Student Union at a college in Colorado.

NUFORC Note:

I spoke with this individual on 24MR01 at the Aztec Symposium. I am grateful to the individual for his submitting the report. We have amended the time to "2318 hrs.," which was the time recorded by the camera, which recorded the event. PD

Posted 2001-04-01