Fire in the SkyS


Fireball 3

Meteor impact? Crater discovered in Managua following massive explosion


Raw Story
Sun, 07 Sep 2014 18:27 UTC
Meteorite Crater
© Tomado Del 19 Digital/ENDThe explosion left a crater 12 meters in diameter, said Wilfried Strauch, advisor of the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies, Ineter. (Google Translation)
A mysterious explosion that rocked Nicaragua's crowded capital Managua, creating a large crater, appears to have been caused by a meteorite, officials said Sunday.

Amazingly, in a sprawling city of 1.2 million people, the impact near the international airport did not cause any known injuries, but it did leave a crater measuring 12 meters (39 feet) across.

"We are convinced that this was a meteorite. We have seen the crater from the impact," said Wilfredo Strauss of the Seismic Institute.

The meteorite appeared to have hurtled into a wooded area near the airport around midnight Saturday, its thunderous impact felt across the capital.

The hit was so large that it registered on the instruments Strauss's organization uses to size up earthquakes.


Comment: For more on this and other meteor fireball reports in recent days, check out Niall Bradley's report here:

SOTT Exclusive: Massive explosion rocks Nicaraguan capital - Did part of Asteroid 2014 RC just impact Earth?

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Mysterious explosion lights up the sky of Corsica: Meteor disintegration?


Strange Sounds
Mon, 01 Sep 2014 00:00 UTC
Fireball
According to witness a large fireball exploded over Corsica lighting up the sky on August 29 2014. Stock photo only for representative purposes (not the actual bolide).
What was this mysterious explosion reported over Corsica on August 30 2014? According to witnesses, the loud boom lit up the sky.

Was it a disintegrating fireball?

In the night of Friday to Saturday, August 30, 2014, an explosion was heard at around 2am across Corsica.

From Saint Cyprien, Chera through Muratello, Alistro, Bonifacio and up to Sartene, many people have reported a loud bang literally lighting up the sky.

Although the site of the explosion has not been determined yet, police and security are investigating the source of this detonation. Meanwhile here is a timelapse that immortalizes this mysterious flash (@ 0:28) from Sartene:

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Fireball

NASA all-sky camera captures 305 fireballs!


thecelestialconvergence.com
Wed, 03 Sep 2014 02:40 UTC
Every night, a network of NASA all-sky cameras scans the skies above the United States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software maintained by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office calculates their orbits, velocity, penetration depth in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics.

On Sep. 3, 2014, the network reported 305 fireballs.
(300 sporadics, 3 , 1 alpha Aurigid, 1 Southern delta Aquariid)
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Fireball 3

Witnesses see meteor light up Colorado skies

Charlie Brennan
Daily Camera
Wed, 03 Sep 2014 00:09 UTC
Meteor
© Wikimedia Commons
It might have been the size of a pea, or maybe as big as a football. Still, streaking across the Boulder skies late Tuesday night, it made quite an impression on those who saw it.

Trevor Ycas, who lives in the Martin Acres neighborhood, was lounging in the backyard with four friends around 11 p.m. when they saw what he said was a meteor. They watched, said Ycas, as it split into four distinct pieces.

"It was going south to north, so I think it broke up somewhere north of Loveland, or maybe Greeley. I used a compass to check the trajectory, and I think it was about 15 to 20 degrees east of north," Ycas said.

Several in Ycas's group attempted to film it with camera phones, but were unsuccessful in capturing good images. But the time stamp from those attempts show that it occurred about 10:34 p.m., Ycas said.

There were plenty of other witnesses as well, including some who were out under the stars at Red Rocks Amphitheater for Film on the Rocks. "Meteor so large the crowd at Film on the Rocks was cheering," tweeted one.

Seth Hornstein, director of the Sommers-Bausch Observatory at the University of Colorado and a professor in the Department of Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences, had not heard about the sighting until contacted by the Camera.

"It was probably a lone meteor," said Hornstein. "There's no showers coming up - the Persieds were in August, and the Orionids are the next ones in mid-October. It was probably just a stray."
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Fireball 5

Huge fireball seen over São Paulo, Brazil


floodofextremes.wordpress.com
Mon, 01 Sep 2014 06:47 UTC
Video captures a huge fireball streaking across the skies of Campinas, a city in the Brazilian state of São Paulo just after 10pm Monday night.
campinas fireball
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Meteor

Not a mystery anymore: Spectacular green meteor flashes across New Zealand sky


TVNZ
Fri, 29 Aug 2014 04:25 UTC
Image
© Twitter @SarahPSparksMeteor in Christchurch May 3
Hundreds of witnesses have described the magnificence of watching a meteor flash across the New Zealand sky last night.

Seen from all different parts of the country, most eye witness accounts describe a fast moving green light with a white tail flying over the sky between 6pm and 7pm.

"Wife and I saw a bright blue/greenish light with white tail as we were crossing the Auckland harbour bridge into the city around 6:25pm. We initially thought it was fireworks but was puzzled as it came out of nowhere from the sky and flew near-horizontally before it vanished. It appeared pretty close, as if it was flying just over Freemans Bay," James commented to Weather Watch.

Did you see the meteor and manage to get a photo? Send to newsviews@tvnz.co.nz

Stardome Observatory educator Tim Jessop confirmed the siting to Weather Watch.

Comment: Just one out of many this year.



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Cause of big bang noise over New Zealand township remains unsolved

Libby Wilson
stuff.co.nz
Thu, 28 Aug 2014 16:47 UTC
Meteor
© Wikimedia Commons
A "massive bang" between Dinsdale and Whatawhata has puzzled and shaken residents. About 7.30pm on Wednesday, the noise startled residents in rural Rowe and Bowman Rds, near the Taitua Arboretum.

It's been described as like a sonic boom, "a heck of a bang" and left some wondering if a P lab had exploded or a meteor had crash landed.

Rowe Rd resident Janice Fischer remained mystified.

"It sounded like a bomb blast," she said.

"It sounded like a car had driven and hit our roof."

She and her husband nervously headed outside for a look.
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Bright meteor wows Kiwi stargazers


The New Zealand Herald
Thu, 28 Aug 2014 04:38 UTC
Meteor
© Thinkstock
A large meteor has been seen flying through the sky across New Zealand tonight.

The burning ball of space rock was spotted from locations throughout the country, including the West Coast, Auckland, Christchurch, Upper Hutt, Palmerston North, Napier and Nelson.

Many of those who sighted the meteor described it as large with a colourful tail, streaking across the sky about 6pm.

"[I] saw brilliant blue meteorite with long tail travel east to west across the northern sky. It seemed like fireworks at first and appeared close," Richard from north Canterbury posted on the WeatherWatch meteor watch website.

Another witness, Michelle, said: "Very large, beautiful meteor sighted over Napier, New Zealand aprox 6pm."

Steven said: "Very bright white light,showing the signs of a classic small meteor fly across Christchurch."
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Fireball 3

Fireball spotted over north Georgia's night sky Saturday

Travis Maurer
Fox 5 News
Mon, 25 Aug 2014 16:59 UTC
North Georgia fireball
© NASACameras at the Tellus Museim in Cartersville caught a fireball on camera streaking over north Georgia on Saturday.
A lot of people across north Georgia and metro Atlanta messaged the FOX 5 newsroom this weekend about a bright flash across the night sky on Saturday.

Monday, scientists at the Tellus Museum in Cartersville confirmed there was a possible meteorite late Saturday evening. Their NASA camera caught the fireball passing over the state around 11:30 p.m.

Residents from Paulding County to Alpharetta to Gainesville reported seeing the streak. Some describe it getting as bright as daylight at one point.
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Fireball 5

Meteor over Toronto captured on dash cam

Sarah-Joyce Battersby
City News, Toronto
Fri, 22 Aug 2014 14:25 UTC
Toronto Fireball
© Screen Capture YouTube
Some lucky Torontonians were treated to a light show Thursday.

A dashcam video posted to YouTube shows a bright object streaking across the sky over the Don Valley Parkway.

CityNews viewer Rahsaun Hutchinson was in a park in north Ajax and saw "a bright flying, star-like object" streak across the sky around 10 p.m.

Peter Brown, a professor in the Western Meteor Physics Group at Western University, says such sightings are common this time of year.

Having watched the video, Brown said the object appeared to be a "bright but not spectacular meteor" and likely not large enough to produce meteorites.
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