(meteorobs) Fireball Photo???

[Dave Radomski - KTØH]

What do we know of the photo?

DIMENSION: 640x480 ( A rather strange dimension for such a "keeper" photo unless it was resized in "post.")
RESOLUTION: 300DPI (Probably manipulated in "post.")
CAMERA: Nikon E7900 - Nice unit, point and shot type camera
                http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?goingto=dtc_options&cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25527
                http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikoncp7900/
LENS: Zoom lens @ 51.4mm when photo was taken
F-STOP: f/8.2
EXPOSURE: 1/690 sec
TIME: 2006-02-19 13;36:31 (Unknown Time Zone & if time feature was accurately set - ?PST?)


Comments: 

1) This camera has a max ISO of 400. Given the cloud cover, exposure and f-Stop... max ISO was probably used.

2) Aircraft propeller (3 bladed) is frozen/stopped, consistent with "1" above.

3) The streak would have had to have been very persistent and bright to leave such a long image/trail in such a short instant in time.


Bottomline... Does not appear to be a lens flare or sunlight reflection owing to the cloud cover. Unknown what this might be if not a faked image.

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Robert Lunsford 
  To: meteorobs at meteorobs.org 
  Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 04:08
  Subject: (meteorobs) Fireball Photo???


  Please visit the website below and let me know what you think.

  http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/sdbound182/DSCN1905.jpg

  The photographer claims his intended target was the small aircraft.
  He claims this object lasted 1-2 seconds and occurred near noon
  local time. He also states the object appeared toward the northeast.
  If this is so then a lens artifact from the sun is not possible being that 
  the sun was at his back. You can verify this by noticing the shadow 
  of the wing upon the fuselage of the aircraft. 

  To me, this appears to be a crude add-on to this photograph. It is
  quite "un-meteor like". I wonder though how he got it to appear as 
  if the streak was behind the clouds during the first portion of it's
  re-entry?

  One more thought...this location was fairly close to Vandenberg, 
  but I could not find any scheduled launches for the afternoon of
  February 18. Besides, he claims the object was going down, not
  upward.

  Your thoughts?

  Thanks!

  Bob Lunsford
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