NUFORC Sighting 82081

Occurred: 2011-07-02 21:40 Local
Reported: 2011-07-02 20:23 Pacific
Duration: 15 seconds
No of observers: 1

Location: Newton, KS, USA

Shape: Fireball

Large orange, soundless fireball passed over house with no trail

On the night of July 2, I was watching TV in front of my large picture window in the living room when I saw a large, bright orange fireball-like light coast its way across the sky. As it's July 2, many people in the neighborhood around my home were shooting off fireworks, so when the fireball-like object first entered my vision, there was a second or two where I wasn't paying too close attention to it.

Looking closer, I then realized that it wasn't a firework or a piece of one, but whatever it was, it appeared to be burning, as it had a flickering quality to it, which is why I describe it as fireball-like. Its size appeared to be something along the lines of a kernel of corn held at arm's length.

Initially thinking it was a crashing aircraft, I jumped off the couch and ran outside to observe the object (2-3 seconds or so elapsed at most) and made it outside in time to view the object cross the sky by about ten more degrees or so before passing over the top of my house, out of my sight. The sky was overcast, and to the best of my knowledge, this object was below the clouds, yet moving too fast to be an aircraft, even a crashing one, and too high to be a firework. It indeed appeared to be on fire, yet there was no smoke trail and the object made no noise whatsoever. After it passed over my home, I lost sight of it, as I would not have had time to run around the house and follow it to the horizon. The fireball-like object appeared to be traveling from the N/NE towards the S/SW, and was visible to me for between ten and fifteen seconds from the beginning of the sighting to its end.

I have seen the ISS pass over my town before, and know what it looks like; to the best of my knowledge, this wasn't that (especially as it appeared to be below the cloud layer). Don't know what it was, meteor or otherwise, but I'm sure with all the people outside lighting off fireworks for the holiday weekend, someone else must have witnessed it as well.

Posted 2011-07-04