Edinburgh, Scotland — 11 September 1787
Wandering globe
About 8:30 P.M. people saw a fiery globe larger than the sun in a northerly direction. It proceeded horizontally to the east, about 15 to 20 degrees in elevation. Then it descended to the horizon, rose again higher than before with short waves in its trajectory and finally moved west and was lost to view behind a cloud, where it seemed to explode.
Source: John Winthrop, “An Account of a Meteor Seen in New England, and of a Whirlwind Felt in That Country: In a Letter to the Rev. Tho. Birch, D. D., Secretary to the Royal Society, from Mr. John Winthrop, Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge in New England,” Philosophical Transactions 52 (1761-1762): 6-16. Case: W316