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(meteorobs) FWD Re: October 9, 1997 Meteor

>I received the following from Rick recently.  This is my first attempt at
sending an attachment, so here's hoping it works.  Having a map of New
Mexico available would be a good idea.  A portion of an earlier description
from a witness almost underneath the path is included first for reference,
and I find this description matches the radar image.
>
>The eyewitness report follows :
>
>>In comparing the report with my itinerary notes that day.  I witnessed
>>the event. on Thursday October 9 in the afternoon around 12:45 or 1:00
>>pm as I was driving with a friend toward Las Cruces, NM.  We were just
>>south of Socorro on IH-25 (Elephant Butte was directly to the left of
>>us)  when I happened to lean over and see the green fireball.  It was
>>not directly overhead but I did see it out of the top left side of the
>>windsheild and it streaked down and to the left.  As it got closer to
>>the ground it broke apart in several glowing pieces before fading.  It
>>left a smoke trail that lasted well over 2 hours.  We traveled from that
>>point outside Socorro all the way to White Sands when it finally seemed
>>to dissapate.  The smoke trail seemed greenish-gray in color and very
>>thick at first. Later as it faded, it appeared more like an odd shaped
>>cloud. From our view point there were no clouds in the vicinity of the
>>smoke trail at that time. I cant tell you how many times since that day
>>I have regretted not taking a picture of that smoke cloud- it seemed so
>>close to us.  Everything happened so fast but it seemed like slow motion
>>in a way. The sound effect happened several seconds after the fireball,
>>like maybe 5 or 6 seconds.  I remember saying to my traveling partner,
>>"hey, look a meteor, a shooting star!" , immediately after seeing it,
>>then in the silence before her reply, I heard the sound effect. It was a
>>very low toned fog horn type sound that seemed to linger for an instant
>>then fade just like the meteor.  That sound really gave me the chills,
>>it was like nothing I've ever heard before.  We turned east in Las
>>Cruces now driving toward White Sands-as we approached the White Sands
>>Missile Range-we were quick to note the amount of activity within the
>>area.  We saw the observatories that peppered the missle range were open
>>toward the area we saw the fireball - people were also standing out on
>>...
>
>Rick's note to me comes next, with the picture file named last :
>
>>Norm,
>>
>>     I've attached what was alledged to be a "RADAR image" of
>>October 9th's meteor track over Arizona and New Mexico.  This was
>>the image aired on TV, the one I missed and everyone else saw.  I
>>presume the track is the E -> W line beginning in Arizona.  If so,
>>please tell me how this thing was supposed to have ended up "30
>>miles east of El Paso"?  If we're to believe what the image itself
>>tells us, southeastern Arizona and New Mexico were directly
>>involved, but not Texas.  The so-called track points more toward
>>White Sands.  If the thing made it to the El Paso area, it had to
>>do some really serious turning!  What do you think?  What do you
>>make of this "meteor"?
>>
>>                                     Rick Wright


Norman W. McLeod III
Visual Program Coordinator
American Meteor Society

Fort Myers, Florida
nmcleod@peganet.com

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