[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: (meteorobs) Firball Noise (was Where we all are)
In a message dated 97-01-24 14:56:06 EST, Gary wrote:
<<
Back around 1973 a friend and I were watching the Perseids when we saw a
meteor come out of the zenith and move to within 15 or so degrees of the
horizon. We estimated the magnitude as about -6, but that being the
brightest meteor I had seen up to that time (less than one year experience)
that estimate could be off. Anyway, just before the meteor vanished it
flashed brightly like a camera flashbulb. I turned to my friend and quickly
made the comment that we had just had our pictures taken by a spy
satellite. Before either of us could react to that statement, we heard a
short, low-pitched boom. We immediately looked at each other, realizing we
had heard our first bolide.<<
Gary, wouldn't the meteor had to be very close...perhaps less than a mile
away? Judging on a time estimate of what you described, it sounds like you
are talking about only a few to several seconds. For a meteoroid to get that
close, you'd think it would have to be a lot brighter as well?
>>
One night in February I saw my brightest meteor ever. It was about
magnitude -10. It first appeared high in the southern sky and moved through
the zenith, actually seeming to speed up as it moved. It suddenly
fragmented into about a half dozen pieces, which continued moving northward
a short distance before vanishing. About the moment the last pieces
vanished, I heard a short-lived sound like distance thunder. The noise was
so striking, I ran into the house and checked the weather to see how close
any storms may have been. As it turned out, the midwest was completely
clear! Certainly an amazing experience!<<
This one seems bright enough...but again it must have been very close to you.
And being that close you would think it would have been louder? The one that
Bob and I recorded in 1992 took 2 minutes and 43 seconds before the sonic
boom very loudly showed itself. I was lucky to have a chart recorder on at
that time recording meteor radio signals. This gave me some accurate times.
George Zay
>>