Fire in the SkyS


Meteor

Huge fireball explodes over western US


SpaceWeather.com
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:35 UTC

As forecasters predicted, there was a surge of Leonid meteors during the late hours of Nov. 17th. Preliminary counts from the International Meteor Organization exceed 120 meteors per hour.

A remarkable midnight fireball that "turned night into day" over parts of the western United States last night was not a Leonid. Infrasound measurements suggest a sporadic asteroid not associated with the Leonid debris stream. The space rock exploded in the atmosphere with an energy equivalent to 0.5 - 1 kilotons of TNT.

Approximately 6 hours later, observers in Utah and Colorado witnessed a twisting iridescent-blue cloud in the dawn sky.

cloud1
© Jeff KendrickImage taken: Nov. 18, 2009
Location: Looking South East of SLC, UT just before dawn 11/18/2009
Details: First appeared as a ring when the eastern sky was dark. Disappeared completely as the sun came up
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Meteor

Meteor lit up night sky, caught on video

Edgar Linares
Idaho's NewsChannel 7
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:26 UTC
Boise - A number of people called our newsroom, e-mailed us, and were talking about it on Twitter.

A meteor streaked across the night sky-- lighting it up as if it were daytime.

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Meteor

US: Fireball Lights Up Night Sky

Michael Coats
KIFI
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:40 UTC
People from all over the Mountain West reported a "bright light" or "meteor streak" around midnight Wednesday morning.

Reports are coming in from Eastern and Southern Idaho, all throughout Utah and even Las Vegas.

Several viewers called into the Local News 8 newsroom reporting the bright light which lasted for just a few seconds.

Some have reported it as a "ball of light" and others called to say it looked more like a "green streak."

Media outlets in Salt Lake City report that some even felt a "slight rumble" or "sonic boom."
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Meteor

Fireball streaks through sky over Utah


ABC4 News
Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:42 UTC
A large ball of fire streaking across the night time skies just after midnight had many Utahn's wondering what they saw early Wednesday morning.

Dozens of calls came streaming into the ABC 4 newsroom with people wondering if they saw a shooting star, others wondered if it was the end of the world, military testing, or even a UFO.
Fireball over Utah
© Gabriel Perez
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Meteor

US: Kansas father, son suspect meteorite landed at home


Associated Press
Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:46 UTC
A father and son have an extraterrestrial explanation for the strange rock that recently landed in their backyard in southwest Kansas. They are convinced it's a meteorite.

Chandler Harp, 10, was playing in the backyard of his Liberal home when he heard what sounded like an explosion about 15 feet from where he was standing. He looked over to see a plume of dirt and debris shoot 5 feet high.

At the bottom of a foot-deep hole, he found a 2-inch rock and showed it to his dad, Lee.
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Meteor

Pennsylvania: Another Fireball

jennyfire130
NowPublic
Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:08 UTC
Image
© jennyfire130
I was driving home from an Apple Festival this weekend when my 3 year old daughter started shouting "Look Mama, a comet!!" I looked out the window and to my amazement I saw I HUGE yellow and white ball of fire. I immediately thought that I just witnessed a airplane explode in sky. I called my husband freaking out and he said that it was probably a meteor. I was driving on a highway and unable to pull over. I was able to reach into my purse and get out my camera. By the time I was able to get a photo through my front windshield (driving 55 miles/hr and one handed LOL) the fireball had broken into 4-5 smaller pieces. I am still not sure what exactly it was ... but it was really amazing and one of the coolest things I've ever seen in the sky! I am so excited to share my photo with you! Thanks for reading :)
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Meteor

California Fireball

Carl Hergenrother
The Transient Sky
Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:38 UTC
A brilliant fireball was seen over California during the early evening of November 7 at around 5:10 pm. Quite a few reports have been posted in the comments sections on this blog.

A comment posting by Rich gives a rather detailed observation of the event:
"11/07/2009 at approximately 1700hrs we were driving south form Santa Rosa on Hwy 12 and were passing through Sonoma when we noticed a large brilliant white fireball in a SSW direction. It first caught our attention at about 20 to 25deg off the horizon. Our visual on it only lasted only about 3-4 seconds then just before passing the hills in the distance it seemed to go out. There was no associated noise or sign of impact. It was just gone. There was a smoke or debris trail that we could see after the object was gone that was visible for perhaps a minute or so then it was dispersed by the wind."

Comment: Another comment on that blog reads:
Reg - November 9, 2009

On November 7, 2009 around sunset, I was driving northbound on US 101 15 miles south of Santa Maria, California. Fireball started directly north at approximately 40 degrees above the north horizon, headed vertically and burned-up (disappeared) approximately 3-5 degrees above the north horizon. Head of fireball well formed burning sphere, with long tail and sparks. At about 8 degrees above the horizon the head split into two pieces.


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Meteor

Possible Meteor Spotted in British Columbia Sky


CBC News
Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:44 UTC
People throughout British Columbia were treated to a spectacular light show Saturday after what's believed to be a meteor lit up the sky.

Stephen Dalley and his wife were driving north of Comox, on Vancouver Island, at about 7 p.m. PT.

"We were shocked ... I mean, it wasn't what you'd expect, but it was bright white, with red and green and some blue colours, with a bit of a trail behind it and it was a large fireball," he said.

"[It was] approximately what the size of the moon would have been if we were looking at the moon."
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Meteor

Best of the Web: Massive Fireball Over Tokyo


Sonotaco.jp
Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:31 UTC
Image
Several people observed a massive meteor fireball emitting a brighter than usual flash at around 8:30 pm on the 6th of November - it was observed throughout the province. According to a statement from the Toyama Observatory, it was a "massive fireball", a rare phenomenon caused by a large mass of meteorite.

Watch the Sott web exclusive video below

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Meteor

California: Meteorite Sighting Startles Yolo County Residents


CBS13
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 07:08 UTC
Leonid meteor shower
© Stephen Shaver/AFP/Getty Images The Leonid meteor shower lights up the sky above China's Great Wall as stargazers brave the minus 20 degrees Celcius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature and walk up the wall with their flashlights 18 November, 2008 in Badaling
Authorities scrambled to find a downed aircraft after numerous witnesses called to report seeing a fireball plunge out of the sky, but the sightings may have been the result of something a bit more astronomical.

Yolo County emergency crews searched the area near Interstate 5 and Interstate 505 just northwest of Zamora after multiple callers reported seeing a ball of fire fall out of the sky, but found no sign of any aircraft.

An emergency dispatcher with the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that the event is part of the annual Leonid Meteor Shower, which lasts for a couple of weeks and isn't expected to peak until November 17.
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