(meteorobs) a 'screamer' ? in Canada

[Bruce McCurdy]

    Arlene queried:

>> exactly what IS a 'screamer' and did any of you witness this event?

>> Screamer lights up night sky across West
>> Canoe.ca <http://canoe.ca/> - Canada
>> There have been no reports of any sound accompanying the light, so
>> Hildebrand speculates the meteor was made of cometary material and would
>> have left no ...
***

... and George speculated:

> The term screamer may be a local term that refers to an object that was
> fast, brilliant, or  in reference to video - a bright flash. There was
> no reference to a screaming noise. Actually no reference to sound in the
> above at all.
***

    "Screamer" -- A local term that refers to an avid meteor observer who 
missed The Big One

    Sigh. I heard about it from a friend of a friend, then there were a 
couple of posts on our local chat group last night, including one report 
which is copied below. FWIW, I *can* define a "five-pin bowling ball" which 
will not be known to most on this list ... it fits comfortably into the hand 
(no holes!), a little larger than a softball and a *lot* heavier. Enough 
mass to make quite a clout at tens of metres per second! As for how big it 
*appears*, well that kind of depends on how far away from it you are. :)

    I will, however, find out what I can and try to provide a better report. 
As it happens, I am going to hear a lecture by Dr. Hildebrand (the one 
mentioned in the Sun article) at the science centre this afternoon, and will 
no doubt talk to Frank Florian at the centre who will have received all the 
phone calls yesterday.

    It was cloudy when I went to bed. Sigh.

    Bruce
    *****

PS: Sorry for the earlier blank post ... it's hard to manipulate the mouse 
while you're screaming ...

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Kevin Jeske
To: astro at mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2007 12:04 AM
Subject: [Astro] the bright light...minus the green men......


  Hi everyone,

  Does anyone know what re-entered the atmosphere last night?  My co-worker 
was driving back from Calgary and saw a giant green flash in the sky that 
turned the night to day for a brief moment.  Patti had heard on the news 
that people were calling Frank at the TWOS today for more details.

  Thanks,
  Kevin



  - about 20 minutes north of red deer
  - around 1am or a little after
  - it visually looked like a gigantic firework, there was a flash of 
"putrid" / "northern light" green bright light that lit up the surroundings 
as if someone had flicked on a light.  it streaked from east to west and 
looked as big as a five pin bowling ball.  it was at the end of the 
"firework" and had some orange color to it until it went into small pieces 
which then disappeared.