Fire in the SkyS


Meteor

Geologists stumble upon meteorite-hit site in Rajasthan


Press Trust India
Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:45 UTC
New Delhi - Geologists appear to have stumbled upon a meteorite-hit site in western Rajasthan after they discovered quartz-like mineral that is similar to the one found near the famous Lonar crater lake in Maharashtra. The experts from the Indian Institute of Technology- Bombay detected occurrence of stishovite mineral in magnetic particles found in MokalsarSiwana way of the Siwana volcanic province in western Rajasthan.

"Such magnetic spherules, with 57 per cent of magnetite and 37 per cent haematite and with insignificant rare earth element (REE) content have been reported recently from a wide variety of geological formations and Recent Alluvium," Prof D Chandrashekhram of IIT-Bombay told PTI over phone. The stishovite discovered in the Siwana volcanic province of western Rajasthan is somewhat similar to the Lonar crater and formed by a series of meteor or asteroid impact, he said.
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Meteor

England: Fireball sighted over Northamptonshire

Andy Mannion
UK UFO Sighting Reports
Sat, 06 Feb 2010 11:30 UTC
Posted: February 5, 2010

Location of Sighting: Rothwell, Northamptonshire
Date of Sighting: 5th Feb 2010
Time: 21:00 hrs

Witness Statement: I would like to report a sighting of a fireball over my home in Rothwell Northamptonshire, I spotted this fireball around 21:00 hrs on the 5th Feb 2010. It was heading North but not sure how fast it was traveling I would say around 300mph as it looked as if it was traveling at the same speed as a plane would go. I tried to get video footage but by the time I got to my phone the fireball was going out of sight, managed to get a couple of seconds but it not brilliant.
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Meteor

'Fireball' lights up Irish sky


BBC News
Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:23 UTC
Fireballs
© UnknownAn artist's impression of a meteorite fall
A fireball, thought to be a meteor, was spotted in the sky by people from all over the island of Ireland at about 1800 GMT on Wednesday.

People in Armagh, Craigavon and Omagh reported sightings to the police, and it was also seen on the Glenshane Pass.

The Northern Ireland Coastguard also took calls from people who believed the fireball had landed in Lough Neagh.

In the Republic, Valentia Coastguard said it took calls about sightings in Counties Westmeath, Limerick and Cork.
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Meteor

Ireland: So where did fireball land after blazing our skies?

Alan O'Keeffe and Claire Murphy
Herald
Thu, 04 Feb 2010 10:38 UTC
Show 'like something out of Armageddon'

A search was underway today for remnants of a huge fireball that lit up the skies over north Dublin and across the country last night.

Large numbers of people reported seeing the fireball as it blazed brightly across the sky around 6pm.

Today, people living in Cavan were searching for remnants of what is believed to have been a small asteroid, following reports it may have hit the ground in the townland of Crimlin.

People in several parts of Dublin and around the country reported sightings of the fireball.

Today FM presenter Tim Kelly told the Herald today he saw the fireball as it seemed to streak across the sky over Dublin.

"I was visiting a friend at Dublin South FM at Dundrum and we were five storeys up with a view over Dublin. It suddenly appeared in the sky in the direction of O'Connell Street. It was orange with flames coming out of it. It was like something out of the movie Armageddon.
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Meteor

Fireball seen over Ireland

Paddy Clancy
The Irish Times
Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:20 UTC

Members of the public throughout the country have been reporting sightings of a fireball in the skies this evening.

Tommy Moore from Astronomy Ireland said a space rock collided with the earth's atmosphere at about 6pm, showering debris over many parts of the country.

Mr Moore said: "A major explosion happened in the sky over Ireland. We think it's a fireball, that's a rock from space the earth has slammed into and they burn up as huge shooting stars. This one appears to have lit up the whole country. The phones here in Astronomy Ireland are going crazy."
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Meteor

Fireball over Montana 'lights up the sky with a blue light'


Billings Gazette, KTVQ-TV
Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:05 UTC

Several people reported seeing a meteor fall Monday night west of Billings in an area between Red Lodge and Molt.

Reports were vague, but the National Weather Service office in Billings fielded a handful of calls from people who claimed to have seen the space rock hurtling toward the Earth about 7:30 p.m.
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Meteor

Montana, California: Possible fireball sighted in night sky around Bozeman

Michael Gibney
Daily Chronicle
Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:49 UTC
John Blue Mountain Greenfire had just poured a cup of coffee and was outside enjoying the evening air around 8 p.m. Wednesday when he saw what he thought was an airplane on fire, heading toward Belgrade.

But while no fiery jetliner ever touched down at Gallatin Field airport, a white fireball, a type of meteor, was reported over Torrance, Calif., at 8:13 p.m. MST, traveling southeast, according to the American Meteor Society's 2010 Fireball Sightings Table.

"I was really puzzled," said Greenfire, who lives on Sourdough Road in southwest Bozeman. "All I saw was a ball of fire flying northwest for three, maybe four seconds."

The Southern California report indicated the fireball was as bright as the full moon.
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Meteor

Meteorite Crashes Through Virginia Doctor's Office

Tariq Malik
Space.com
Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:34 UTC
Image
© Linda Welzenbach/Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History The meteorite that crashed into a doctor's office in Virgina Jan. 18, 2010.
A small meteorite fell from the sky and crashed through the roof of a doctor's office in Virginia, but luckily no one was hit, experts say.

The half-pound meteorite struck the Lorton, Va.-based office of Dr. Frank Ciampi, a general practice physician, on Monday evening while he was on the second floor of his two-story building.

"It went through the roof. It through one wall partition and then passed through a particle board ceiling into the floor of an examination room," said Linda Welzenbach, manager of the meteorite collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, which confirmed that the object was indeed a meteorite from outer space. "It's not really big. It's about the size of your fist."
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Meteor

'Fireball' seen falling over Buchans, Newfoundland, Canada

Brian Vike
The Vike Factor (Into the Paranormal)
Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:13 UTC
Date: January 21, 2010
Time: 5:01 - 5:16 p.m.

Location of Sighting: Buchans, Newfoundland, Canada.
Number of witnesses: 5
Number of Objects: 1
Shape of Objects: Round Orange Ball.

Full Description of Event/Sighting: Coming out of work, I looked up to the sky. At first it looked as if an airplane had exploded and was plummeting to earth. It was in my mind a 'fireball'. There was a tail, like white exhaust. It declined at a constant speed. I went to pick up my friend and we followed. At 5:16 is was finally at the horizon. We have no idea what it was and wish to find out. Unfortunately I had nothing on me at the time to take a photo or video. If this can be explained, we would love to know. Thanks.
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Meteor

Almost-close encounter: Meteorite hits Lorton doctor's office

Paul Duggan
Washington Post
Thu, 21 Jan 2010 09:16 UTC
Much later, after the hole in the roof had been fixed and the debris cleaned up, after the cause of the damage finally had become clear, Frank Ciampi wondered: What are the odds?

He is a doctor. He has worked for 18 years in the two-story building in Lorton that houses the Williamsburg Square Family Practice, in the 9500 block of Richmond Highway. He spends his days walking in and out of examining rooms, seeing patients.

What are the chances, as he goes about his routine, that he'll get hit by a meteorite?

Not impossible.

It almost happened.

"I was in my office doing charts," Ciampi recalled. It was Monday, a little after 5:30 p.m. He was on the building's second floor. "And I heard a loud boom, almost like a small explosion."

At first, he said, he thought a bookcase had toppled nextdoor. "So I ran toward the office. And then I saw all the debris in the hallway," he said.

Comment: Dr. Marc Gallini and Dr. Frank Ciampi are interviewed about a meteorite strike at the Williamsburg Square Family Practice in Lorton, VA. Video

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