Fireballs
S


Comet 2

Large fireball observed over Colorado

Afza Fathima
International Business Times
Fri, 05 Sep 2014 19:45 UTC
Image
© Reuters / Doug MurrayA Perseid meteor streaks towards the horizon during the annual Persied meteor shower in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, August 12, 2008. Perseids meteors are bits of debris left by the comet Swift-Tuttle which burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.
On Tuesday, Sep. 2, a lot of people in Colorado said they saw a fireball streak across the sky at about 10.30 p.m.

Director of the Sommers-Bausch Observatory at the University of Colorado, Seth Hornstein, said that the bright ones were rare and they see only three or so of them that get significantly brighter every year.

A man sent an email to 9news stating that he and several members of his family had seen the fireball from their home. Reports on sightings can be done on the website of the American Meteor Society and these reports showed that the family wasn't the only one.

The website shows that people from eighteen different cities near Colorado like Fountain, Evergreen, Boulder, Pueblo, Estes Park Littleton, Aurora and Arvada had also seen the meteor.

Hornstein said that the meteor was approximately the size of a sports ball, either a baseball or a volleyball. Though that doesn't seem like it is too big, he explained that usually the size of the fireball would be the size of a pebble or a grain of sand.
Read More...
Fireball 5

Shock asteroid warning: Earth faces 100 years of killer strikes beginning in 2017 - or maybe even earlier?

Nathan Rao
Daily Express, UK
Fri, 05 Sep 2014 20:24 UTC

Comment: In light of readers' feedback regarding the following article, a few comments:

The 'science' in this article isn't really defensible. It's the 'newsworthiness' of the story that stands out for SOTT.net, just the fact that ANY kind of space threat scenario is being publicized.

A couple of possibilities as to what is going on here:

The author is 'leaking info' which, though not scientifically accurate, gets that message out there that 'something wicked this way comes'.

Alternatively, the author is writing deliberately rubbish stuff that can easily be debunked, thereby debunking anyone by association who notices that something is definitely 'up'.

Maybe a bit of both is at work; maybe something else entirely. Journalistic standards aren't exactly what they might once have been, so this could simply have been a rush-job to meet the deadline for a 'sensational' story.

But consider this: while the UK's Daily Express is 'tabloid trash', it's also owned by a media baron, a British media baron, no less, who are notoriously good at 'info-crafting'. As such, most, if not all, of its content, like all MSM, is pretty carefully vetted. If you get to hear about something, then there's generally a political reason why you're getting to hear about it.

So, SOTT.net is re-posting this article - for posterity's sake if nothing else - to take note of the fact that a British media outlet has just alerted sizeable numbers of people to the reality of imminent cosmic threat, whether intentionally, as part of a 'tar-baby' maneuver, or otherwise.

The bottom line is that the planet today - in contrast with a decade ago - IS being peppered with more and more space rocks, and more and more people are starting to take notice.

The article itself may be 'noise' - and most, unaware of the extent of the space threat, would be correct to dismiss it - but we happen to know for a fact that there is a 'signal' behind it.


Image
© GETTYExperts predict that asteroids are to pepper the planet from 2017
Asteroids could rain down on the earth for 100 years, shocked experts have just warned.

A previously unknown asteroid belt has been located in deep space and is now hurtling towards our part of the solar system.

It means a 'global killer' could collide with Earth as soon as 2020, wiping out life as we know it and changing the climate for millennia.

The terrifying predictions came as NASA revealed disturbing new data showing 400 impacts are expected between 2017 and 2113, based on new observational data of objects seen in space over the past 60 days.

Most will have a maximum diameter of around 100 metres - the size of seven double decker buses - and the potential to cause significant damage.

Comment: The above article has since been 'debunked' here.

What its critics don't realize is that the cosmic situation is probably even more dire than sketched out by Nathan Rao.

Regular readers will be familiar with Laura Knight-Jadczyk's investigations into the planet's repeated close encounters with comet clusters down through history...

Comets and Catastrophe

The Apocalypse: Comets, Asteroids and Cyclical Catastrophes

Comets and the Horns of Moses

... which are timely in light of the significant increase in meteor fireballs in recent years. Here are just a couple of recent hits, both coming around the same time that 'harmless' Asteroid 2014 RC made its 'fly-by' last Sunday September 7th: Rao's article is an easy target. He's right to sound the alarm, though he did so for the wrong reasons: indeed the probability of direct-hit impacts from larger bodies in our near-to-medium future is probably mathematically small. The point that both Rao and his critics miss, however, is that with more objects comes more finer material - lots of it, including the threat of comet-borne viruses. These alone can have catastrophic climate change effects for people and planet. Forget an extinction-level asteroid 200 years from now: the danger from civilization-ending cosmic catastrophe is present now.

Another reason why Rao's article is an easy target is because he made the mistake of homing in on specific space rocks. There is NO WAY TO TELL what might hit, and when. The world's observatories were focused on 2012 DA14 when, 6 hours before its scheduled fly-by, another large rock - from another direction - arrived out of nowhere to explode over Chelyabinsk, Russia!

The take-home point is that - based on multiple data points - the overall level of cometary debris in the inner solar system has massively increased in recent decades, and especially since the early 2000s. As Pierre Lescaudron wrote in his recently published 'Earth Changes and the Human-Cosmic Connection':
There has been a significant increase in the discovery of asteroids in recent decades. In 1980, there were 9,000 known asteroids in the solar system. By 2000, there were 86,000. By 2007, there were 380,000. As of 2013, the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center had data on 1.1 million asteroids.

Of the 1.1 million asteroids known in 2013, NASA announced the discovery of the 10,000th NEO - Near Earth Objects on Earth-crossing orbits - in June 2013. An alarming number especially when we know that most NEOs are discovered just as they fly past Earth, and very often inside lunar distance. Other estimates place between 100,000 and 1,000,000 more undiscovered NEOs on similar Earth-crossing orbits, increasing the current estimated total range of asteroids in the solar system to 100 million.

The number of discovered comets has also increased in recent years. While newly discovered comets were virtually nil at the beginning of the 1990s (for example, only one comet was discovered in 1995, namely 1995 O1 Hale-Bopp), by 2000 over 150 new comets were being discovered per year, a figure that increased to 265 by 2009. Note that the figures between 2009 and 2013 are not yet finalized. Once updated, I fully expect the final count for those years to be higher than the current count.

Rather appropriately, 2013 was declared the 'Year of the Comets', with a high number of active comets in the Sun's vicinity. By November 21st, 17 comets were visible with a small telescope, of which five exhibited a magnitude between +4 and +7.5 - meaning they could be seen with binoculars - and two of which (ISON and Encke) could be seen with the naked eye.

Remember, these are only the identified comets, bright enough to be observed at a long distance. Most 'comets' remain invisible (as 'asteroids') until they start glowing as a result of the heliosphere-induced electric stress they experience when they enter the solar system. If the exceptional fireball events in 2013 were anything to go by, 2014 may have even more celestial surprises in store for us.


Read More...
Fireball

Great balls of fire: Meteor illuminates Spanish skyline


RT.com
Mon, 08 Sep 2014 11:36 UTC
Spanish Meteor
© Still from Vimeo video
Early risers got an unexpected treat on Sunday in Spain, as a fireball whistled across the country - lighting up the morning sky. It passed through eight regions, traveling the length of the country, leaving a trail of smoke in its wake.

The Spanish Meteor Network confirmed the fireball had passed over the country; however, they did not know where it had originated, the Local reported.
Read More...
Fireball 5

Meteor seen flashing through Albuquerque sky


KRQE
Mon, 08 Sep 2014 13:13 UTC
Meteor
© Wikimedia Commons
It was captured at Sandia National Laboratories' Facility for Acceptance, Calibration and Testing site and officials say it's the brightest thing recorded at Sandia in the last two to three years.Sandia media relations said the white spot in the video (below) is the moon.

Around 5 a.m., viewers who saw the sky light up began calling KRQE News 13 and sent emails describing what they saw. APD also had similar reports according to the dispatcher at 242-COPS.

One viewer who was driving to the gym early Monday on Unser and McMahon said there was a bright flashing light west of him. The viewer said it was like someone took a picture in front of him with the flash on.
Read More...
Fireball 2

SOTT Exclusive: Massive explosion rocks Nicaraguan capital - Did part of Asteroid 2014 RC just impact Earth?

Niall Bradley
Sott.net
Mon, 08 Sep 2014 06:22 UTC
Image
© El19Digital.comNicaraguan military investigators check out what appears to be an impact crater caused by a fragment from an overhead meteor/cometary explosion. Did it break off from Asteroid 2014 RC?
What was it NASA said about yesterday's 'fly-by' of Asteroid 2014 RC?
"... there will be no impact."
To their credit, they had calculated that it would pass pretty darn close, inside Earth's geosynchronous ring of communications and weather satellites, about 36,000 km from the planet's surface. What they don't factor in is that asteroids can fragment as they approach Earth, causing some fragments to change course... towards us.

A massive explosion rocked Managua, Nicaragua, around 11pm local time Saturday, September 6th. Local media are quoting local authorities as saying it was caused by an incoming meteor, which they suspect was originally part of Asteroid 2014 RC's September 7th 'fly-by'.

One of the fragments apparently made it all the way to the ground, gouging out a 12-meter wide crater next to the city's airport:


Comment:


Read More...
Fireball 3

Meteor impact? Crater discovered in Managua following massive explosion


Raw Story
Sun, 07 Sep 2014 18:27 UTC
Meteorite Crater
© Tomado Del 19 Digital/ENDThe explosion left a crater 12 meters in diameter, said Wilfried Strauch, advisor of the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies, Ineter. (Google Translation)
A mysterious explosion that rocked Nicaragua's crowded capital Managua, creating a large crater, appears to have been caused by a meteorite, officials said Sunday.

Amazingly, in a sprawling city of 1.2 million people, the impact near the international airport did not cause any known injuries, but it did leave a crater measuring 12 meters (39 feet) across.

"We are convinced that this was a meteorite. We have seen the crater from the impact," said Wilfredo Strauss of the Seismic Institute.

The meteorite appeared to have hurtled into a wooded area near the airport around midnight Saturday, its thunderous impact felt across the capital.

The hit was so large that it registered on the instruments Strauss's organization uses to size up earthquakes.


Comment: For more on this and other meteor fireball reports in recent days, check out Niall Bradley's report here:

SOTT Exclusive: Massive explosion rocks Nicaraguan capital - Did part of Asteroid 2014 RC just impact Earth?

Read More...
Bad Guys

Leaked: LA Times reporter caught clearing stories with CIA


RT
Fri, 05 Sep 2014 19:04 UTC

The CIA and Associated Press intelligence reporter Ken Dilanian regularly collaborated on stories promoting the spy agency's image, according to a report by The Intercept. Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show how during his time with the Los Angeles Times, Ken Dilanian worked with the agency to more positively portray CIA actions, at times explicitly promising positive news coverage, according to the report. RT's Lindsay France digs into the newly revealed documents to explore the depth of the relationship.
Read More...
Fireball 2

Mysterious explosion lights up the sky of Corsica: Meteor disintegration?


Strange Sounds
Mon, 01 Sep 2014 00:00 UTC
Fireball
According to witness a large fireball exploded over Corsica lighting up the sky on August 29 2014. Stock photo only for representative purposes (not the actual bolide).
What was this mysterious explosion reported over Corsica on August 30 2014? According to witnesses, the loud boom lit up the sky.

Was it a disintegrating fireball?

In the night of Friday to Saturday, August 30, 2014, an explosion was heard at around 2am across Corsica.

From Saint Cyprien, Chera through Muratello, Alistro, Bonifacio and up to Sartene, many people have reported a loud bang literally lighting up the sky.

Although the site of the explosion has not been determined yet, police and security are investigating the source of this detonation. Meanwhile here is a timelapse that immortalizes this mysterious flash (@ 0:28) from Sartene:

Read More...
Fireball 3

Witnesses see meteor light up Colorado skies

Charlie Brennan
Daily Camera
Wed, 03 Sep 2014 00:09 UTC
Meteor
© Wikimedia Commons
It might have been the size of a pea, or maybe as big as a football. Still, streaking across the Boulder skies late Tuesday night, it made quite an impression on those who saw it.

Trevor Ycas, who lives in the Martin Acres neighborhood, was lounging in the backyard with four friends around 11 p.m. when they saw what he said was a meteor. They watched, said Ycas, as it split into four distinct pieces.

"It was going south to north, so I think it broke up somewhere north of Loveland, or maybe Greeley. I used a compass to check the trajectory, and I think it was about 15 to 20 degrees east of north," Ycas said.

Several in Ycas's group attempted to film it with camera phones, but were unsuccessful in capturing good images. But the time stamp from those attempts show that it occurred about 10:34 p.m., Ycas said.

There were plenty of other witnesses as well, including some who were out under the stars at Red Rocks Amphitheater for Film on the Rocks. "Meteor so large the crowd at Film on the Rocks was cheering," tweeted one.

Seth Hornstein, director of the Sommers-Bausch Observatory at the University of Colorado and a professor in the Department of Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences, had not heard about the sighting until contacted by the Camera.

"It was probably a lone meteor," said Hornstein. "There's no showers coming up - the Persieds were in August, and the Orionids are the next ones in mid-October. It was probably just a stray."
Read More...
Fireball 2

If half of all species go extinct, will humans be next?

David Shultz
Nautil.us
Fri, 29 Aug 2014 17:12 UTC
Image
© Unknown
How many animal species do you think go extinct every year? Last week I conducted a highly unscientific polling of around 20 of my Facebook and Google Chat contacts, asking that same question. I'm not trying to brag, but I have some really smart friends, many of them with degrees in biology. Typical answers ranged from about 17 to a seemingly ludicrous 400. They were all wrong though - off by orders of magnitude*. In July, a summary article of nearly 80 papers, published in Science, stated that, "Of a conservatively estimated 5 million to 9 million animal species on the planet, we are likely losing ~11,000 to 58,000 species annually."

If that finding is true, then every year, between .12% and 1.16% of all the animals on Earth vanish. Rodolfo Dirzo, the lead researcher on the Science study from Stanford University, points out that we've already lost 40% of the Earth's invertebrate species in the last 40 to 50 years. Almost half the animals without skeletons have gone extinct within half a human lifetime. The wide range of these estimates reflects our own uncertainty on this subject, but even our low-end assessments are alarming.

Bugs and worms are gross, though; who cares if there are fewer spiders in my house now than in the arachnid-infested '60s? Unfortunately the future looks just as bleak for mammals. Dirzo says that if current trends hold, "in 200 years, 50% of the [mammal] species are going to be driven to the very edge of extinction."

Comment: It won't be so easy to ignore. Cyclic cometary bombardments have wiped out this planet before:

Forget About Global Warming: We're One Step From Extinction!

Fireballs reported since June 1, 2014:



Read More...