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(meteorobs) Definition of "bolide"




"Bo*", you should note that bolides need NOT be "associated with meteorite
falls"... That was not a denotative part of the definition Mike gave: just an
illustrative example of one type of meteor which MIGHT produce sound. Of course
these nomenclature debates always come down to what is most convenient for the
serious users of a word: but naturally without consistency across users, no
definition has much use either.

FYI, this question came up on 'meteorobs' no less than *THREE* times in the
past: in each case, the final agreement was that a bolide could be loosely
defined as "a fireball which produces an audibly observed sonic boom or other
non-simultaneous sound". Another accepted variation is "any fireball which
produces an explosion, REGARDLESS whether that explosion was observed as a
visible flash, fragmenting, or an audible boom."

My personal preference is for the former definition - fireball with boom. :)

Clear skies all!
Lew Gramer


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