[MHGinTN]

My best guess is a satellite breaking up and re-entering the atmosphere ... or maybe a space object in three pieces that entered the earth's atmosphere. But it was the most spectacular display I've ever witnessed in 57 years of sky watching.

[fish70]

About 15 years ago I was driving home with a friend at about 02:00 when we noticed 7 or 8 HUGE fireballs trailing mile long tails moving across the night sky in a V formation. It was the coolest thing I have ever seen. The next day I found out that it was one of the big old Soviet COSMOS satellites re-entering the atmosphere.