(meteorobs) Whitmire, SC likely fall location

[Marc Fries]

I just had a look at this radar data, and I concur - this has all the 
hallmarks of a meteorite fall!  My first-pass Scientific Wild-Ass Guess 
puts it about the same size as the Grimsby fall.  Not much material was 
recovered in that fall, but terrain had a lot to do with that.

I am committed to a project right now; otherwise I'd be looking at ways 
to get to the site.  Nice job locating this, Rob! And nicely done to 
Jake Schaefer, Dirk Ross and everyone tracking this one down.

Cheers,
Marc


On 2/15/12 9:54 AM, Matson, Robert D. wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I found the confirming radar hits (from two radars) yesterday
> afternoon -- I can send the .KMZ files to anyone that is
> interested. They are definitely associated with the fall.
> The reflectivity, velocity and spectral returns all have
> the "candystriping" that Marc Fries and I have come to
> associate with past confirmed meteorite falls.
>
> The location is not as bad as it could be. Yes, lots of
> forest, but also many cleared areas due to the nearby
> town of Whitmire, SC.  --Rob
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: meteorobs-bounces at meteorobs.org on behalf of Esko Lyytinen
> Sent: Wed 2/15/2012 2:57 AM
> To: Meteor science and meteor observing
> Subject: Re: (meteorobs) [meteorite-list] GA SC Bolide seems have produced a large rock
>
>
> I made a one station analysis of the Lawndale camera video.
>
> The camera was calibrated with eight found stars. And a number of frames
> were manually measured.
> A direct fit to the timed directions gives the apparent entry direction
> approximately. In this a reasonable looking deceleration was taken into
> account.
> Some level "scaling" can be got by means of an assumed beginning height,
> consistent with the resulting velocity, with a few iterations.
> I get it arriving form az-direction around 315 or 325 . The entry
> velocity seems to be about 13 km/s having then he beginning height at
> around 80 or 85 km.
>
> The reulting landing site from this model is very close to Jake's
> southers radar "group". I tried a further velocity (and connected
> beginnig height fit) and with the entry velocity of 13.4 km/s (in this
> model arriving from direction 319) with resulting beginning height of
> about 85 km. Now there is an almost exact hit! The end height in this is
> 26 km. Camera calibration at low elevation angles may be not so good
> affecting some uncertainty to this.
> Also a resonable rough dark flight was modeled. In this the landing is
> 13.8 km before the sea-level crossing of the direct track.
> Then the prediction from this would be a few kilometer to the West of
> the radar hits.
>
> Wind effects are not taken into account and may well affect this.
> Just now the server in Wyoming tell
>
> "Sorry, the server is too busy to process your request.
> Please try again later."
>
> when trying to get the atmospheric sounding data.
>
> I am practically confident that these "southern" radar hits are from
> this. It would be good to know the exact time of the radar hits.
> In my opinion the northern hit it less probabaly from this.
>
> No reliable end deceleration is derived from this. And from only one
> station data, this may not be got quite reilably. Ablation model would
> give a reasonable end mass for this velocity and end height of around 5
> kg (if OC). But if this was strongly fragmented in early flight, as may
> well have happened, considering the bright flashing, this mass value may
> rather suit to the biggest mass(es) and the total end mass may be bigger.
>
> The fall-time to the radar height would be telling on the masses of these.
>
> Regards,
> Esko
>
>
>> Here is my analysis of this meteor:
>>
>> http://3dradar.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/sc-2132012-at-642-utc/
>>
>> I think there is a chance there could be meteorites from this event. I
>> think it is highly misleading to say it "produced a large meteorite"
>> when nothing has been found yet...
>>
>> I think the radar hits probably need further scrutiny (Marc Fries, Rob
>> Matson?) but it seems from what I see, this meteor deserves a bit more
>> attention?
>>
>> - Jake
>>
>>
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