When Adrian and I were driving west on US 30 between Hamlet, Indiana and Fort Wayne, Indiana, we spotted a bright and extremely slow meteor from our moving truck. The meteor slowly drifted from roughly 40 degrees high until close to the horizon in the Eastern sky around 10:55 PM EST (3:55 UT December 25th). It was at least as bright as nearby Regulus, or roughly +1.0 magnitude, and it passed just south of the Sickle of Leo probably from Cancer through the “Head of Hydrus.” What was most interesting about this meteor to me was its slow descent. I saw it falling and pointed it out to Adrian, and she was also able to look at it. It must have taken three seconds or more to glide down through the sky and disappear. I wish I had a better idea of our location when I saw the meteor. I know only that it was near Warsaw, Indiana. Adrian and I talked about it for a while, trying to decide whether it was a slow meteor or a possible artificial satellite re-entry. I told her that it seemed too fast for a satellite re-entry. Adrian commented at the time that it seemed bright enough for the meteor to have survived and struck something, though neither of us had hard evidence that this happened.
We have seen other bright meteors during this same Christmastime trip under clear skies. Again, this seemed most notable for how long-lasting the meteor was. I’ve seen brighter meteors but rarely have I seen meteors with this kind of longevity before disappearing.
