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(meteorobs) Re: Oct. 3 fireball
Following is a forwarded message to me from Mark Boslough of Sandia
Labs---hot off the press.---Tom Ashcraft
--------------- Forwarded Message ---------------
From: Mark Boslough,
To: Thomas Ashcraft, 72632,1427
Date: Tue, Oct 15, 1996, 1:01 PM
RE: Re: Oct. 3 fireball
Hi Tom,
Yes, it's gotten very interesting and exciting. We released a wire story
yesterday (see attached).
Mark
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For release Monday afternoon October 14, 1996
Recent Fireball Seen Over Southwestern United States Became Earth's
Second Moon for One Orbit Before Exploding Over California
Albuquerque, NM/Los Angeles, CA. A pair of scientists has determined
that bright meteors reported over New Mexico-Texas, and over California
on October 3 were actually two different events, and that they might be
related in a very unusual way. Mark Boslough, a physicist from Sandia
National Laboratories, and John Wasson, a professor and meteorite
researcher from UCLA, now think that a meteoroid was captured by the
Earth in its first pass over New Mexico and Texas, and became Earth's
second moon for one orbit before reentering the atmosphere and
exploding over California.
The two scientists have developed the following scenario: The object
first entered Earth's atmosphere at about 8:00 pm, MDT on Oct. 3, east
of Las Cruces, New Mexico. It was headed in an approximately
east-northeast direction. As it descended at a very shallow angle
toward the Texas panhandle, it began to slow down. It made it's closest
approach to the surface near Artesia, New Mexico, where aerodynamic
forces began to break it apart, showering multiple meteors that burned
up in a brilliant display extending along the track at least as far as
Lubbock, Texas.
The main fragment, however, was still moving so fast that its momentum
carried it back out into space. Its velocity had been slowed from
roughly 45,000 mph to 18,450 mph, too low to allow it to escape the
Earth's gravitational field. As a result, it went into orbit around
the Earth. It circled the Earth once, and returned about 1 hour and
40 minutes later. By that time, the Earth's rotation had moved Texas
out of the way, and replaced it with California. The object reentered
the atmosphere over the Pacific and reached the California coast near
Point Conception. It passed just north of Bakersfield.
The largest mass ceased to be incandescent NE of Kernville in the
Sierra Nevada. Sonic booms were heard throughout this area. Several
glowing embers were observed to descend. The largest may have gone as
far east as the Owens Valley around Coso Junction.
This capture and reentry event is of great scientific interest for
several reasons. According to Boslough and Wasson, such an occurrence
has been postulated but has never before been observed. Because the
meteorite had such a long flight path through the atmosphere, and
entered twice, it may be possible to determine its pre-impact
trajectory and flight through the atmosphere with unprecedented
accuracy. This will allow meteorite specialists to determine its
preterrestrial orbit around the sun, and will permit physicists to
refine their models for hypervelocity impacts into atmospheres.
Scientists are anxious to collect more information on the exact flight
path of the meteor, and hope to recover fragments of the object on the
ground. Observations in eastern New Mexico and the Texas panhandle
would be especially valuable. Boslough and Wasson would still like to
hear from persons under the track who observed this meteor falling
straight down in the eastern sky, and are hoping that video or
audiotapes, still photographs, or security camera recordings will be
found. Notice of such information or materials should be sent via
e-mail to mbboslo@sandiadot gov. Communications can also be sent to
wasson@igpp.ucladot edu.
Because it is especially important that samples of these meteorites be
recovered, UCLA is offering a reward of $5000 for the first sample
having a mass of 4 ounces or larger, and a lesser reward it is is
smaller. The scientists believe that small pieces broke off the main
object and could have fallen almost anywhere directly below the
luminous paths, both in New Mexico-Texas and in California. They urge
persons living under these paths to look on top of the grass in their
yards, on their roofs and (if safely accessible) in their gutters for
small stones, probably black with a fresh matte texture. Samples
should be sent to Wasson at the Institute of Geophysics, UCLA, Los
Angeles, CA 90095. Each sample will be acknowledged, but those that
are not meteorites will not be returned unless a return envelope is
provided.
This meteor was similar in many ways the so-called "Peekskill fireball"
on Oct. 9, 1992, which was captured on videotape from several locations
throughout the eastern U.S., and resulted in the impact of a meteorite
into a 1980 Chevy Malibu in Peekskill, New York. It was also similar
to the Earth-grazing fireball of August 10, 1972, which skimmed through
the atmosphere above the northern U.S. and Canada, and was filmed by a
tourist at Grand Teton National Park. That object was not captured,
but was thrown into a new orbit that scientists think will bring it
back near the Earth next year around August 11.
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