Fireball, space debris, or unknown object .I originally noticed a flash in my peripheral vision on the right as I was heading east on Washington Street at 12:50 AM. I consulted a cell phone for the exact time. Immediately following the original flash,which caught my attention, I looked to the SW and noticed an extremely bright fireball slowly coursing the sky towards the south. As I watched, orange sparks and chunks appeared to fall away from the main train. The train stayed a constant length until the object disappeared behind the low hills to the south. When it reached this point, a brilliant flash appeared, lighting the southern sky, the way it does when a lightning strike occurs some distance away, on a locally clear night. This was different than anything I've witnessed before, and as I've enjoyed astronomy for years, I have witnessed many things in the night sky. It was brighter and bigger, with a longer and more solid looking train, than any other meteor I've previously seen. The train did not! smoke, but was rather a solid sheet of light, as bright as sunlight on chrome, following behind the object or fireball.