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Re: (meteorobs) New Member Peter Stinson & Request for Info...


peter>>I work for the U.S. Coast Guard as a search and rescue controller at 
the
Rescue Coordination Center in Norfolk, Virginia.  I joined the list
primarily because I thought that it might help us at the RCC resolve "flare"
sightings... as you may know, a red or orange flare is an international
symbol of distress in the maritime community. <<

Peter, if you see what looks like a deep red or deep orange flare, I would 
highly recommend the coast guard investigate it. Especially if more than one 
individual reports these colors as being relatively dense. Some people see 
dense meteor colors, but from what I can tell most see somewhat subtle 
colors. If the color reported is somewhat green, or bluish, it could still be 
a flare, but also a very good chance of being a fireball meteor. 

 Peter>>Often mariners, or people on
shore, will report seeing a flare which we suspect might be a meteor... we
pump the reporting source for information and then have to send assets to
search.  We spend thousands of dollars and hours searching for the flare
source, often finding nothing...  I was hoping that information from the
list might help us correlate "flare" sightings with known meteors...<<

I would think and recall flares fired from a Veery pistol would be quite slow 
in speed. Some meteors can mimmick this trait. But on the other hand if the 
flare appeared to travel quite fast, suspect a meteor. Bright and distant 
meteors can appear just off the horizon. These often will appear very slow 
from the observers position. Flares fired some distance might mimmick distant 
traveling fireballs. They often will appear to be dropping down in the sky 
somewhat like a flare would appear. 

peter>>-- color of flare (distress is red or orange... sometimes white flares 
are
used also... other colors are not recognized as distress signals)<<

White fireballs are common also. Try to ascertain whether any tint of blue or 
green could be perceived? If so, could be the color of a meteor that is being 
seen as it excites various elements in the atmosphere. 

You might also want to inquire how long the "flare" lasted? If it lasted 
several seconds or longer, suspect either a reentering satellite or meteor.  
Unless the flare is dangling somewhat stationary from a parachute, I wouldn't 
think the flare would be lasting much longer than 4 to 7 seconds. 

Also ask about any sounds....especially sonic boom type sounds occuring 
within about 5 minutes of the sighting. If so, could either be an exploding 
airplane or a meteor fireball that might have dropped a meteorite. also if a 
sonic boom was heard, anything looking like a flare probably wouldn't appear 
along the horizon if it lasted only a few seconds. 

I recommend getting a list of when the major meteor showers occur. 

peter>>or fireballs (new term for me... before joining the
list, I'd ever even heard of a fireball)... <<

Sometimes folks will use the word "bolide". They are essentially the same 
thing. Though sometimes bolide is in reference to a fireball that produces a 
sonic boom or simply exploded. 
Good luck,
George Zay
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