(meteorobs) Another Observation of the Shingle Springs (No. CA) BrilliantFireball of 08/11/2007

[Lew Gramer]

Debbe, fireballs (especially ones seen at window level - that is, near your 
local horizon) are actually very far away from you - they may be hundreds of 
kilometers distant. But it's a very common thing to be fooled by their 
appearance, into assuming they were actually very near to you - and so 
thinking that a fireball you saw may have landed close by. Here is a web page 
I wrote some years ago which I hope will help explain a bit more about what 
you saw. It's entitled "Did I actually see a fireball land near me?"

    http://www.meteorobs.org/fireball.html

Clear skies, and welcome to the 'meteorobs' email list, Debbe!

Lew Gramer


----- Original Message -----
From: Debbe Smith <dripingpink at yahoo.com>
Date: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 5:57 am
Subject: Re: (meteorobs)  Another Observation of the Shingle Springs  (No.
 CA) BrilliantFireball of 08/11/2007

> thank you for your information. I saw one from my livingroom window
> in Jones Valley area (just east of Redding, Calif) 3am and it
> landed down in our creek bed but I cannot locate anything while
> hiking the steep terrain. Can they just burn themselves out. I KNOW
> what I saw (basketball size or larger, red, orange, yellow and
> blueish fireball with small tail) I thought some idiot had launched
> a big firework. We are notorious for fires this time of year and I
> cannot figure out why this did not set off a grass fire. I
> appreciate any information you can give and so glad others have
> seen these i.e. I am not crazy!!! Debbe Smith
>
> Wayne Watson <sierra_mtnview at sbcglobal.net> wrote: