Slow moving fireball

[ChiggaMan]

Hi all I'm new here,

Yesterday evening at around 7:45pm after washing my car I saw a slow moving fireball in the north sky about 30-45 deg up from horizon (sorry about the n00b lingo)... it was very clear to the naked eye and it was just bordering on twilight. Could see a faint trail from the bright red-orange object.

It was moving towards NW but it disappeared behind some dark clouds. Viewed from Penrith.

Wondering if anyone hear saw it as well?

I'm not sure what it was but I'm sure it wasn't a meteorite as it moved slower than 'shooting stars'. What could it be?

Mike.

** EDIT: Was this what I saw?

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

I may well have been Mike.

Some meteors do move slower than others or appear to move slower than others depending on their angle of entry, ie one entering the atmoshpere at a steep angle (coming close to straight down) and viewed from "underneath" it may appear to move slower than one entering at a slight angle (moving from horizon to horizon) viewed from the side.

Shame you didn't get it on camera

[ChiggaMan]

yeah shame, even though slower than "shooting stars" it only appeared in my FOV for around 10-20 seconds :p

[RAJAH235]

Hi ChiggaMan. Might just have seen an 'Earth Grazer'. Fairly slow moving as they just 'skim' the upper atmosphere. Get a real 'orange/red' glow as they slowly heat up. Saw a beaut about 3 yrs ago about 12.15 am, just after Christmas time, travelling west to east, from Sirius towards Scorpius & watched it for more than 30 secs +, before it disappeared out of the earths's atmosphere in the general direction of Antares.
Will never forget that one...Big, slow, almost "lumbering" beast, shedding molten material as it went, colour of lava.....
Pity you had so much cloud that evening. Still, you caught a glimpse & that's the main thing...
L.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Thanks Laurie. I knew it was one way or the other. Trust me to pick the wrong way round

[RAJAH235]

np Paul. But you should have been here....or around the Sydney area. Was a real "MONSTER". L.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Would an iridium flare take on colour like that? Or are they always white. Cause my first thought was that it may have been a satellite, seeing how it was quite slow.

[RAJAH235]

Hi Jeanette. Iridium Flares are always 'reasonably bright', (varies quite a bit), but 'always' white in colour. The reason they 'flare' is simply because of the reflected sunlight off their panels. They are well above the Earth's atmosphere, allsame satellites. (check with heavens-above).
All I can say is, you should've seen it, eh, Mike! L.

[ChiggaMan]

[1ponders]: I understood that you meant the other way around

RAJAH235: Yeah, I dunno about a real monster but I was lucky to see such a sight.

jjjnettie: Not a satellite as it had a fiery trail... plus I don't think satellites orbit THAT low.