The AMS has received
over 40 reports so far about a fireball over central Tennessee last night around 8:20 central time. The event was captured by two cameras in the NASA All Sky Fireball Network operated by Bill Cooke of the Marshall Space Flight Center.
© NASA / Bill CookeSuper Bolide over Tennessee – December 17th, 2013
The burst from the event was brighter than the full moon.
© NASA / Bill CookeSuper Bolide over Tennessee – December 17th, 2013
After analyzing the fireball's brightness, Cooke estimated the bolide to be approximately 12 inches wide and 400 pounds. He also plotted the orbit for the fireball and determined it originated from within the asteroid belt. Based on these two factors, Cooke believes meteorites could have survived to the ground.
Here is a video of the fireball captured by NASA's cameras.
Below are two maps of the fall location and estimated fireball trajectory. One is the trajectory plotted from the fireball reports submitted to the AMS from eye-witnesses. The other trajectory estimate was plotted by NASA using the all sky camera network.
This is an excellent example illustrating how valuable and accurate eye witness reports can be. Both estimates are very close to each other.
Tennessee Fireball Trajectory – December 17th, 2013
Below is an image of the 3D trajectory model computed using the AMS witness reports. This is a new software program we have recently developed that allows us to model the fireball trajectory in 3D and plot the RA/DEC coordinates for its radiant. The vertical red line towards the end of the fireball's track represents the point the fireball went out and entered dark flight. The RA/DEC coordinates computed for this event are: ra: 75.12070251 / declination: 19.38761852
3D Model of Fireball Trajectory Computed From AMS Witness Reports
If you witnessed either fireball event,
please submit an official fireball report.
Theories which science minds give for an exploding meteors just doesn’t explain it all … theories like “air pressure builds so much the meteorite pretty much goes splat against thicker layers of atmosphere” .. What about so called meteors exploding overhead where there’s NO thick layer of atmosphere … But then they say headwind places pressure in front of the meteor, and if the pressure builds up too much, the meteor will fragment, with pieces distributing themselves laterally causing a "pancake effect." thus resulting in the comet breaking into fragments, depositing much of its kinetic energy into the air all at once … but that doesn’t explain the always full global bright light flash that vanishes with no real atmospheric disturbances or no real effect of ground impact .. To me the answer is soooo much simpler IF a mind could open up to Celestial truths all around us ….