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(meteorobs) Re: Big Leonid Train Lit Up
Dave & All,
I did in fact see this event. It was an extraordinarily bright fireball
which shot overhead toward the west and disappeared approximately half
way up in the western sky. I was facing east and nearly got whiplash
following the swift fireball as it shot behind me.
The train lasted 11 minutes for me. It slowly became distorted, as most
enduring trains become, due to the high altitude winds. For me it slowly
faded into oblivion and as not seen again.
It seems certain to me that Dave observed a train from another nearby
meteor as there were many bright Leonids seen that morning. Dave,
wouldn't you agree that this is a more likely scenario than having the
same train become re-lit?
Bob Lunsford
Dave English wrote:
>
> In a resent private e-mail I realized I never related that the
> big Leonid meteor on 16 Nov. '98, at 4h49m37sec, over San Diego
> County, California, left a huge train that got lit up with another
> meteor or perhaps an eletromagnetic discharge. All I can say is that
> after I couldn't detect the train anymore, it became instantly visible
> again several minutes later with light from within, just like a
> thunderhead. I've never asked George Zay if he saw the train light up
> too. He observes about fifty miles SE from me, so he may have seen a
> meteor enter it or may have missed it while plotting another meteor. I
> didn't see any sign of a meteor except for the "cloud" lighting up. Is
> it possible that the ionized cloud could have caused high altitude
> lighting?
>
> I would like to know what GZ would have to say and if Robert
> Lunsford may have seen this event. George did say this was a -16 to
> -19 magnitude meteor and that the train lasted for 8 1/2 minutes and
> the time listed was his. Either way, it was an unsual sighting.
>
> Dave English
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