(meteorobs) Re-post attempt. Fireball solution opens 1 door, closes another.

[Larry]

I too have had trouble keeping the tumbling and outjetting concept together. 
Details in the picture were both for it and against it. Tumbling "seemed" to 
be the CLOSEST solution in solving both upper and lower stream curvatures & 
the apparent periodic nature of emissions from this fireball in flight.

Notably smearing is absent at & near the base of the "outjetting" streams. 
Smearing should have occured if there was any kind of *oblique tumble during 
periods of jetting. (* Needed to account for differing upper and.lower 
stream curvatures.).

The same lack of smearing coupled with the apparent stream curvatures in 
opposition did not match conventional fireball ablation or other photographs 
of timed & composite imaging of events. Forum presented arguments were not 
comprehensive enough to solve at the same time, the stream curvatures and 
what appears to be descrete ejection or emissions.

So back to square 1.

If the fireball passed through the eye of a strong CCW CIRCULAR high 
altitude wind pattern on an oblique angle of approach or recession relative 
to the cameras position, the differing plume curvatures could be accounted 
for. But still not accounted for is the lack of smearing at the base or 
points of stream origin. Each stream appears sharply defined and separated 
without significant smear.

Canon appears to be a major part of the answer.

First of all, Canon Mfg. informed me that this camera would take 1 full 
frame capture every 30 seconds in timed shootings. A 2 minute time shot 
would contain 4 full frame electronic captures. Trivia--I also read that it 
takes 1 frame(part?) every 15 seconds which I believe meant combined to 
produce 1 full frame image in 30 seconds.

The time period of most fireballs that we record like this would probably be 
about 5 to 7 seconds. The contrast and sharpness of this fireball compared 
to the star field suggests it occured at or near the end of the last(4th) 30 
second full frame electronic capture.

Results of checking the Canon 20D specifications:

The 20D has a very special IR filter and processing which makes all of its 
photographs look the same as it would actually look through a human eye! 
This CMOS camera HEAVILY filters out IR and as I read it, UV wavelengths 
too, so that it records only the narrow band of VISIBLE light. Herein is the 
problem!

The heat smears we normally would expect to see from a fireball composite or 
timed photograph WILL NOT BE PRESENT. This also accounts for the extreme 
sharpness and resolution right down to the needle-like tail on the fireball.

I do not know if we can be certain on the size(mass) of this fireball 
especially since this camera apparently was sold with a 55mm lens.

Now guess where I am going........... Either this fireball zipped down on an 
oblique angle after "lingering" in a circular wind stream for a few 
seconds..... :-}

Or..... it zipped down tumbling on an oblique angle relative to the camera.

Without the IR it will be difficult to decide on outgassing, ejecta, normal 
ablation, or tumble.........

Larry -YCSentinel