Fire in the SkyS


Question

Meteor smoke trail? Mysterious cloud formation seen floating over Yanqi Basin, China

Chloe Lyme
Daily Mail, UK
Mon, 02 Nov 2015 17:33 UTC
Image
The mysterious clouds were seen on the morning of Sunday above a barracks and last for about an hour
A mysterious cloud formation was spotted floating over northwest China's Yanqi Basin yesterday.

Residents in the area noticed the colourful cloud in the morning, describing it as a 'huge question mark hanging in the northern sky,' reports The People's Daily Online.

Pictures of the unusual phenomenon have sent the Chinese online community into overdrive with many speculating what the shadowy object could be.
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Fireball

Fireball seen over the Netherlands and Belgium


Sott.net
Mon, 02 Nov 2015 22:33 UTC
Fireball
© Shutterstock
The Dutch Astroblogs reported that on Tuesday 27th October several observers in the Netherlands and Belgium saw a bright fireball in the sky at around 19:30 CET. Reports of this sighting were also posted on the 'fireball reports' page of the International Meteor Organization. According to observers, the duration of the fireball varied from 3.5 to 7.5 seconds, and the brightness varied greatly between -4m and -22m, the latter being brighter than the full moon, as Astroblogs' editor Arie Nouwen notes.

Marcel, one of the Dutch observers who was in Enschede at the time, said that the color of the fireball was white. The "falling star", as some call it, was also seen above the city Alkmaar. Where exactly the fireball in Belgium was seen was not specified.

Comment: See also: Fireball over Poland captured on video

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Fireball 4

Fireball over Poland captured on video


American Meteor Society
Sun, 01 Nov 2015 17:50 UTC
The American Meteor Society and the International Meteor Association received over 60 reports so far about a fireball event over the Eastern Poland on Saturday, October 31st 2015 around 18:05UT. Observers from as far the Netherlands and Austria reported seeing a bright light in the sky. Below is a heat map of the witness reports.
Fireball over Poland
© American Meteor SocietyAMS Event#2824-2015 – Heatmap.
The preliminary estimated trajectory plotted from the witness reports shows the meteor was traveling from the SE-NW and ended its (visible) flight few miles east of the German Border.
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Fireball 4

Fiery object that blazed across night sky in Rejang Lebong, Indonesia was meteor


The Jakarta Post
Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:12 UTC
Image
The National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) said on Tuesday that a fiery object that blazed across the night sky in Rejang Lebong, Bengkulu was a meteorite.

"We strongly suspect that it was a meteorite," head of LAPAN Thomas Djamaluddin said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

When locals in the area reported the object, Thomas said that researchers at LAPAN said that it could have been falling space junk.

"But just like what happened in 2003, we found no indication that the object was man-made," he said.

Locals in Rejang Lebong reported on Monday sighting a fiery alien object that blazed across the night sky.

Others reported that they heard a loud bang and that some windows in local houses were shattered.

LAPAN said it would not immediately send a team to the area.

"We have not sent a team because it could have fallen into a forest. We don't know the exact location," Thomas said.


Comment: The Hazard to Civilization from Fireballs and Comets

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Fireball 4

Huge meteor fireball explodes over Minsk, Belarus (and possibly a different one over Slovenia)


Strange Sounds
Sat, 31 Oct 2015 04:58 UTC
This awesome picture was captured on October 30, 2015 in Slovenia...
Fireball over Minsk
© Marko Korosec
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Fireball

Meteor/fireball seen over Irvine, California - 10/23/2015


Sott.net
Sat, 24 Oct 2015 09:44 UTC
AMS events over California area 23 October
© AMS website / google mapsMap showing over 230 meteor/fireball sightings reported in the California region on the AMS website (screen capture)
This fireball was caught on camera by a driver driving northeast bound on Culver between Irvine Center and Walnut. The meteor/fireball can be seen at At 0:13 mark.


According to the American Meteor Society (AMS) website, there were over 230 separate reports of meteor/fireballs over California and nearby states on 23/24 October 2015.

Something wicked this way comes!

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Meteor

Impact in Russia - 'Huge' meteorite crashes near Lake Baikal, Siberia


Sputnik
Wed, 28 Oct 2015 19:12 UTC
Image
© Youtube/tvoyirkutsk
A piece of meteorite landed right in Lake Baikal in Russia's Siberia, Irkutsk State University (ISU) reported Wednesday, according to TV Channel Zvezda.

Although the meteorite fell on October 22, the Astronomical Observatory of the University published its report on Wednesday.

"The piece of meteorite was first observed at the height of 67.2 meters, but then was quickly lost out of sight at the height of 62.1 meters," the ISU statement said.


Comment: There must be some confusion on the university's part: what was observed was a 'meteor fireball'. A 'meteorite' is the actual piece(s) of rock/metal that is later found on the ground or in the water.


The meteorite didn't have as much hitting power due to the celestial body catching up with the Earth. That's why the speed of the meteorite didn't exceed 13 km/s when it hit the lake.


Comment: Hmm, well that's pure guess-work on their part. And it doesn't sound plausible. The more likely reason for its slow speed is related to electrical interaction with the atmosphere/local region.


According to ISU scientists, the meteorite landed one kilometer away from the shore of Baikal near the village of Bolshoe Goloustnoe. Local residents noticed the meteorite fall and actively discussed the event in online forums.


Comment: The Hazard to Civilization from Fireballs and Comets

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Fireball 4

Spectacular Orionid meteor shower 2015 - photos


EarthSky
Sat, 24 Oct 2015 22:30 UTC
The peak of the 2015 Orionid meteor shower has passed now. Here are some awesome photos from the Earthsky community!
Orionid Fireball Meteor
© Barry Simmons
Barry Simmons said: "Caught this Orionid fireball on the morning of October 22. It's the BEST meteor shot I've gotten since I started shooting meteors several years ago." Captured at Lake Martin, Alabama. Thank you, Barry, and thanks Nanette Estes Simmons!
Image
© John Ashely
John Ashely took this photo in Makoshika State Park, near Glendive, Montana on October 20, 2015. He told EarthSky: "Nice amount of moonlight to start off last night's portion of the Orionid meteor shower. Only saw about a dozen bright ones but they were spectacular as always. Shot at Makoshika State Park, which derives its name from the Lakota phrase for bad land."
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Fireball

Huge fireball sighted over western Finland


Yyle
Sat, 24 Oct 2015 18:47 UTC
The Ursa Astronomical Association's online observation system lit up with reports of a large bright object streaking across the sky on Friday evening. The apparent fireball stirred consternation in neighbouring Sweden.
Image
© Aki TaavitsainenThis fireball was photographed over Mikkeli in 2013.
Finland's main Astronomical Association, Ursa, says that dozens of people reported spotting a light phenomenon in the western skies just before 8 pm Friday. According to the Swedish newspaper Expressen, the apparent meteor startled some residents in the Stockholm area.

Most of the Finnish sightings were from the Turku region, with others ranging from southernmost Hanko to Merikarvia on the Ostrobothnian coast and Mariehamn in the Åland Islands.

Those reporting observations said the object was seen in the west-south-west sky, close to the horizon.

The streak of light lasted for several seconds, says Jukka-Pekka Teitto, coordinator of Ursa's Artjärvi observation centre in Orimattila.

"This object from space has mostly moved across Sweden," he tells Yle.

Comment: There are in fact observations of meteors or fireballs nearly every single day. For more information, see:

Celestial Intentions: Comets and the Horns of Moses

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Fireball 2

Bright fireball flies through Kiev, Ukraine skies

Astro-alert.ru
YouTube
Sat, 10 Oct 2015 19:09 UTC
Image
© Screenshot via YouTube
A bright fireball in the sky over Kiev October 10, 2015 6:30 AM local time.


Comment: See also: Cosmic Turkey Shoot

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