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Re: (meteorobs) Odd Meteor
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Message text written by INTERNET:meteorobs@latrade.com
"From: Susan Kind
To: fidac-news@imodot net
Subject: Odd Meteor
Date: Monday, July 20, 1998 5:24PM
Could you upossibly answer a question for us. I've come across your web
site looking for information of star activity. We live in San Jose,
California. Last night, July 19, 1998 at appoximately 10:15 PST, we were
experiencing a power outage and had gone outisde to gaze at the stars
hoping to spot a shooting star. Someone yelled, "there's one!". And as
we all stared to the spot he was pointing we saw a star moving through
the night. It was the same small size as all many of the other stars,
not too bright. The only oddity is it was moving upwards, it made an
exaggerated zip to the right, went straight up, made a zip to the left
and faded out of view. Could you please tell me if this was a meteor?
And is this "normal" activity for a meteor?
Thank you very much for your help.
Susan
"
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For what it's worth:
On a few occaisions, during astronomical observing sessions in New Mexico,
I have witnessed lights (+3 magnitude or so) (lasting up to 10 minutes )
that moved in the sky, stopped, remained stationary, zigged up, stopped,
zigged down, zigged up and various directions, and eventually darted out of
sight. Once I saw two lights "zigging" in the same area. Two times I have
witnessed this light phenomena with other people.
One time while observing the Delta Aquarids and Capricornids, I observed a
light (+2 magnitude) that darted into my field of view like a meteor and
stopped abruptly, then moved around a little, as I was able to direct my
observing partner to see it and told her to keep watching it while I groped
around for the binoculars. It proceeded to move to the south and
disappeared into the light glow of Albuquerque.
Definitely not satellites. Definitely not meteors.
These experiences remain in my unexplained file.
Tom Ashcraft
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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