[ngcles]

Hi all,

I also saw a spectacular and extremely bright bolide, but somewhat later on in the evening (ie not the one everyone else saw at about 6.30pm). I was at home near Billimari about 250km west of Sydney (as the photon flies) having just concluded a few hours of observing, I was on my back south-south-western facing veranda. It was one of the brightest I've ever seen (certainly in the top-handful)

Here's my description:

11.03pm 4 August 2018. Started at about 50 degrees altitude near the triple border intersection of Ara, Triangulum Australe and Apus then tracked toward the south-south-western horizon terminating in the little patch of Centaurus that lies between the Eta Carinae complex and Crux. Took about three seconds to cover 35 degrees. Estimated magnitude between minus 10 and minus 12. Strong, brilliant, shining trail that persisted for a second or so. Seemed white with hints of light green leaving a smoky trail that didn't last more than about 15 seconds. Really, really spectacular!

A U.S based friend has proffered the idea that both of these bolides might have been part of the Alpha Capricornid stream associated with P/169 Neat. This stream has a reputation for (numerically) weak and sporadic displays that are noted for the number of brilliant bolides they produce. Traced backward across the sky, both trains/trails converge near Capricornus. Would seem a logical conclusion to me

Best,

L.