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Re: (meteorobs) Definition of "bolide"
Lew,
Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the information about "the final
agreement". I was curious about that. I had heard about these
discussions. Somehow it even spilled over to the Meteoritecentral
List. What I had heard was that there was a move afoot to discontinue
the use of the word "bolide" from the jargon of meteor observers. I
guess I was trying to make a point that, regardless how many people
consider the term "bolide" too superfluous, there will still be a use
for this word within the arcane of meteorite strewn field researchers.
But, because I'm involved with so many "beginner meteor observers", I
have a more immediate need for a unique term that describes where
meteorites come from. Most of these beginners know I have a meteorite
collection, and without fail they ask me about the connection between
my meteorites and the fireballs we were observing. When I tell them
that my meteorites came from asteroids, and that the fireballs we saw
were coming from comets (except for the Geminids), and that there WAS
NOT a connection, you should see their confused looks. To make things
right again, I start to explain to them about a very special fireball
called a "bolide"!
Taking a less parochial view, I've found that the word "bolide", with
the more broader meaning, is more widely used in publications outside
of the U.S. of A.
So it matters less how I use the word with beginners, but now that
you've informed me, I know in what context to use this word, here on
meteorobs ;-)
Regards,
Bo*
--- Lew Gramer <dedalus@latrade.com> wrote:
>
> ------SNIP!!----------
>
> 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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