© Via YouTube/International Meteor Organization
Fireballs
© NASA
An artist’s rendering of the NASA’s WISE mission, renamed NEOWISE in 2013, observing comets and other deep space objects.
An artist’s rendering of the NASA’s WISE mission, renamed NEOWISE in 2013, observing comets and other deep space objects.
While most people are likely familiar with icy objects such famous comets as Halley and Shoemaker-Levy 9, the latter of which broke up and impacted the gas giant Jupiter in July 1994. These, along with nearly all of those most of us have heard about (or seen) are from the family of "short-period comets". Short-period refers to the length and distance of the period, or the time it takes to make one full orbit, of the object.
Short-period comets take less than 200 years to make a full orbit around the Sun. These are generally separated into two families: Jupiter-family comets and highly inclined long-period comets. Jupiter-family comets, of which Shoemaker-Levy 9 was one, have orbital periods of less than 20 years. Long-period comets, like Halley's Comet, have orbital periods between 20 and 200 years in length.
Named for Florence Nightingale, asteroid 3122 Florence is the biggest near-Earth object to pass this close since this category of objects was discovered over a century ago! It might be visible in binoculars.
The next attraction coming up in our skies after the spectacular total solar eclipse of August 21 might be an asteroid big enough to be seen in small telescopes, and maybe even in binoculars, as a small, very slow-moving "star." Asteroid 1981 ET3 - also known as 3122 Florence - is a huge space rock at least 2.7 miles (4.35 km) in diameter. According to Paul Chodas at the Center for Near Earth Object Studies:
© Stellarium
Asteroid 3122 Florence – named for the founder of modern nursing – on August 27 at 11:50 pm CDT as seen from central U.S. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.
Asteroid 3122 Florence – named for the founder of modern nursing – on August 27 at 11:50 pm CDT as seen from central U.S. Illustration by Eddie Irizarry using Stellarium.
Florence is the largest asteroid to pass this close to our planet since the first near-Earth asteroid was discovered over a century ago.Asteroid 3122 Florence will safely pass by our planet on September 1, 2017 at over 18 times the Earth-moon distance. The asteroid will not be visible to the unaided eye. It will, however, become visible in small amateur telescopes by late August, in the course of what will become the closest encounter to Earth by this asteroid since 1890.
Jay Sullivent heard a loud bang while he was at home in Appling, and initially thought it was a car crash.
Unable to find a wreckage he took a walk around his lawn before stumbling on a burned circle of grass with smoke rising from it.
The drama happened on July 21.
When he approached, Mr Sullivent discovered the middle was alight, with a pink rock in the middle.
© YouTube/Newsflare
According to the American Meteor Society, there have been 751 reports of the event so far, primarily from Western Washington, but spreading as far south as Eugene, Oregon, as far north as Enderby, British Columbia and as far east as western Idaho. Newsflare.com posted video of the fireball, which occurred at at 9:54 p.m.
Just one person from Whatcom County reported seeing the event to the AMS - a source identified as "CoryA" from northeast of Bellingham near East Axton Road. According to the report, CoryA said, "I wish I hadn't blinked! Saw it, blinked, gone."
© American Meteor Society (screen capture)
AMS Observers map
AMS Observers map
The phenomenon was visible from Bordeaux to Marseille, reports South West. On Twitter, several Internet users have expressed their awe at observing the green fireball. An accompanying boom sound was also reported by some according to the AMS.
A webcam also captured the meteor fireball over the Massif Central.
© David Sunter
David Sunter was working on a rooftop at Serene Retirement Living, Tweed Heads, on Wednesday when he saw a bright meteor burn through the sky just after sunrise, at about 6am.
Mr Sunter filmed the passage of the fiery tail as it cut through the empty sky beyond Point Danger, NSW.
"I looked out above the awning and I seen this strange light in the sky and I thought it was a flare," Mr Sunter said.
© Castanet
Social media has lit up with speculation as to what the object was.
Some jokingly speculated it was an alien invasion, but the most common theory - and the most likely - is it was a meteor.
"Just something very large fell towards Vernon...bright light maybe really large meteor? Started high in the east sky and rapidly lowered behind the hills in the west," Liana Battye told Castanet.
Posted one witness on Facebook, "It lasted maybe three-and-a-half seconds. It looked huge. Over by the Swan Lake area, we saw it from Middleton."
The light was so bright it was seen in Enderby and Kamloops.
© YouTube/Green House Apartment Ekaterinburg
Comment: This video has been uploaded on the American Meteor Society Website. AMS Event: 2563-2017, Report 117061. Location is Marssac-sur-Tarn.