Fireballs
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Cloud Precipitation

3,500 evacuated following widespread flooding in Fiji

Residents of Korociri cross the flooded Nadi Back Road
© Fiji GovernmentResidents of Korociri cross the flooded Nadi Back Road
One person is reported dead and another missing in the widespread flooding which has hit Fiji over the past two days.

The body of a 70-year-old man was found floating in the Sabeto River this morning, FBC News reported.

The broadcaster said the man was believed to have gone for an early morning swim.

A 19-year-old girl, meanwhile, has been reported missing after she was washed away by strong river currents last night.

More than 3500 people have moved to 79 evacuation centres in the north and west of the main island Viti Levu, as two tropical depressions continue to affect the country.


Fireball 2

Bright, white meteor fireball spotted in British Columbia, Washington state

White fireball - stock image
© ABCStock photo
Initial Meteor Reports

01APR2016 Kachur Surrey,BC 21:10 ish pm 3sec. Was facing south came down from the left to right. No sound, extremely bright white,with red flames as it burnt It seemed bright as the sun for a split sec then turned white/blue color then red ball. It was close like over white rock area. No photo.

01APR2016 Andrew Port Coquitlam BC Canada 21:00 approx pacific time 10 seconds? Still burning when it left my view NE to SW white/yellow flame bang followed 30 seconds or so later bright and low not very bright, burning like a giant rocket.

01APR2016 Julia Coates Marysville WA USA 2050 pm 3 seconds East/West. White to blue to red; brighter than the moon but not as bright as the sun. It was the first fireball I have ever seen. It was so beautiful.

01APR2016 Ian Pocock Chemainus BC Canada 20:45/Pacific Approx 2 seconds Start SE stop SSE Pale flare followed by brief green, no sound heard 2-3 x brighter than Venus. The brief flare (as it hit the atmosphere?) It was interesting.

01APR2016 Sherri Osoyoos BC Close to 2040 3-4 sec SE. To NW Very fast white fireball. Just noticed a very bright big ball of white flying over the sky, it didn't seem too high up.
BC meteor map
© Google Maps

Meteor

How big an asteroid would it take to wipe out New York City?

New York asteroid impact
© Business Insider
An asteroid doesn't need to be massive to cause serious damage. The Chicxulub asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs is estimated to have been about 6 miles in diameter. That may sound like a pretty big space rock, but relative to Earth it's pretty tiny.

But what's the likelihood of an asteroid of that size coming into contact with Earth again? The following is from NASA's website:
Every day, Earth is bombarded with more than 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles.

About once a year, an automobile-sized asteroid hits Earth's atmosphere, creates an impressive fireball, and burns up before reaching the surface.

Every 2,000 years or so, a meteoroid the size of a football field hits Earth and causes significant damage to the area.

Only once every few million years, an object large enough to threaten Earth's civilization comes along. Impact craters on Earth, the moon and other planetary bodies are evidence of these occurrences.

Meteor

Exploding meteor fireball brightens night sky in Albacete, Spain

Spain fireball
This bright exploding meteor turned the night sky into day for a fraction of a second on 31 March 2016. The fireball was filmed over Spain at 2:36am UTC (4:36am local time).

The event was produced by the impact of a cometary fragment with the atmosphere at a velocity of about 90.000 km/h.

The impacting rock got ten times brighter than the moon.

The fireball was recorded by cameras placed at the observatory of La Hita in Toledo, when the fireball flew across the sky of the province of Albacete. It has also been reported by skywatchers in Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, Valencia, Murcia and Andalusia.


Meteor

Bright meteor fireball filmed over Oliveira, Brazil

Brazil fireball
A very bright bolide captured by SONEAR meteor camera:


Fireball 3

Strange object spotted falling from the sky over South West England

Photos have surfaced of what appears to be an object falling from the sky. Gudrun Limbrick posted the photo in the Facebook page A Place In North Devon.
Strange Object
© Gudrun LimbrickThese photos were captured by Gudrun Limbrick this evening.
People have been coming up with possible explanations including a meteorite, plane entrails or a strange cloud. It was seen from all over North Devon including in Combe Martin and Braunton.

Gudrun said: "I live in Woolacombe and popped my head out the door to have a look at the post-sunset sky about 8pm. I watched it for about 20 minutes as it moved down the sky and changed shape."

Do you think you know what the object might be? If so get in touch by emailing fran@northdevonjournal.co.uk

Comet 2

Comets & Asteroids - Summary for March 2016

During the month of March 2016, 3 new comets were discovered. On March 17, 2016 a new impact flash on Jupiter has been captured by amateur astronomers. Moreover, delay-doppler images of asteroid 2016 DV1 (on March 03, 2016) and of comet P/2016 BA14 (on March 22, 2016) have been obtained by Goldstone Solar System Radar.(see below for more about these news). "Current comet magnitudes" & "Daily updated asteroid flybys" pages are available at the top of this blog (or just click on the underline text here).
The dates below refer to the date of issuance of CBET (Central Bureau Electronic Telegram) which reported the official news & designations.
Comet P/2016 BA14
© NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSSRRadar images of comet P/2016 BA14.
Comet Discoveries

Mar 11 Discovery of C/2016 E1 (PANSTARRS)
Mar 16 P/2015 B4 (LEMMON-PANSTARRS)
Mar 16 C/2016 E2 (KOWALSKI)

Scientists using the Goldstone Solar System Radar in California's Mojave Desert observed comet P/2016 BA14 during its historic flyby. Close approach of March 22, 2016 by P/2016 BA14 has been the third closest on record and the closest flyby of a comet in 246 years (for more info about P/2016 BA14 see our previous post). Radar images from the flyby indicate that the comet is about 1 kilometer in diameter. Moreover data collected by V. Reddy using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF) on Mauna Kea, Hawaii indicate that the comet reflects less than 3 percent of the sunlight that falls on its surface.

Meteor

Disintegrating fireballs explode over Manitoba, Canada and Catalonia, Spain

Meteor over Churchill, Manitoba
© Via YouTube/Cloud
Two bright fireballs were recorded in Canada and Spain end of March 2016.The Spanish bolide slowly disintegrated in the sky of Aragón and Catalonia on March 24th, 2016 at 0h47m20s UTC. The Canadian space rock was captured flying through the night sky of Churchill, Manitoba. Awesome!

This wonderful slow-moving fireball overflew Aragón and Catalonia on March 24th, 2016 at 0h47m20s UTC and was recorded by cameras at the Folgueroles AAO-CSIC-IEEC station (Pep Pujols/J.M.Trigo).

The fireball experienced periodic changes in its luminosity due to the fast spinning of the meteoroid when it penetrated Earth's atmosphere.


Fireball filmed in the sky of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada on March 26, 2016.

There is no comment on the video. But the video of this exploding fireball is awesome:


Did you hear any booms or weird noises related to these two sky events?

Fireball 4

Rare meteorite fragments discovered from March fireball in Stubenberg, Germany

Experts from Munster said they are 'delighted' to recover several fragments identified as being of the 'LL Chondritenklasse' (LL chondrite) class of meteorite - mostly stone with very little metal inside. This image shows how the meteorite looks under the
Experts from Munster said they are 'delighted' to recover several fragments identified as being of the 'LL Chondritenklasse' (LL chondrite) class of meteorite - mostly stone with very little metal inside. This image shows how the meteorite looks under the polarising microscope
Scientists have discovered fragments from an extremely rare meteorite strike that took place above Germany earlier this month.

Experts from Munster said they are 'delighted' to recover several fragments identified as being of the 'LL Chondritenklasse' (LL chondrite) class of meteorite - mostly stone with very little metal inside.

The latest fragments, which struck the earth in the municipality of Stubenberg in Bavaria, are already being studied excitedly by experts, who anticipate more fragments will still turn up.

The fireball was spotted over Bavaria on 6 March.

The fireball was spotted over Bavaria on 6 March (pictured)
The fireball was spotted over Bavaria on 6 March (pictured)
Meteorite expert Professor Dr Addi Bischoff from the Institute for Planetary Studies at the University of Munster (WWU) said: 'Alert sky watchers spotted the meteorites burning into the atmosphere on 6 March.

'By analysing images of the entry, we were able to locate the impact point and find fragments on the ground, in total weighing 40g.

Cloud Precipitation

Best of the Web: Signs of Change: Earth changes, extreme weather and meteor fireballs in March 2016

signs of change March 2016
© Youtube/HawkkeyDavis (screen capture)
Sea life washing up dead - Earth opening up to swallow rivers and vehicles - Record rainfall in Peru, flooding in Rio de Janeiro - Loud booms of unknown origin shaking homes - Strongest earthquake so far in 2016 hits Indonesia - Meteors lighting up the night sky - Yet another '1-in-1,000-years' rain event flooding central and southern US - Heavy snow in Mexico - A year's worth of rain in one day flooding Persian Gulf states...

This series does not mean the world is ending! These are videos showing a series of extreme weather events that are leading to bigger Earth Changes. If you're following the series, you're seeing the signs. It's much more than one video...