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Re: (meteorobs) Nov. 16 Fireball/Re-entry: UFO madness
>Can anyone tell me how to distinguish a major bolide from a
>spacecraft re-entry (in general terms)?
PS: David, this topic was discussed in detail on 'meteorobs' some
months back: search the archive for the whole story. Short answer,
though: reentries appear VERY slow relative to celestial meteors;
they often exhibit colors toward the red end of the spectrum; and
they are often observed over great angular distances. They may or
may not be more likely to be seen going West to East, but this is
unreliable: 1) there are polar satellites, 2) untrained witnesses
will often say this of any meteor NOT travelling North to South!
Clear skies!
Lew Gramer
------- Forwarded Message
From: "FIPT LBTS1b(con)3, D Cross" <FIPTLBTS1bcon3@dpa.moddot uk>
To: "'meteorobs@jovian.com'" <meteorobs@jovian.com>
Subject: Re: (meteorobs) Nov. 16 Fireball/Re-entry: UFO madness
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 1999 10:38:35 -0000
On Sun, 21 Nov 1999 19:22:56 -1000
Jim Bedient <bedient@amsmeteors.org> wrote:
>For all of us meteor observers, the following is good for a laugh:
>
>UFO Spectacle Stuns Eastern U.S.
>Subj: CAUS Bulletin: Major UFO Event Tuesday Night
- --LOTS CLIPPED OUT HERE
As a believer in the non-existence of UFOs, I think these reports a more
than simply good for a laugh.
They show the range of perceptions/experiences/reports that can be
produced by a single unusual event. They also point up the difficulty in
working out how many separate events are being reported: how do you know
whether you are dealing with an inaccurate report of the same event or
an accurate report of a different event?
Plus, it shows how much trouble can be caused by dodgy news reporting,
as in:
>The local media is bending over backwards to try to convince us that
>it was actually a precursor to the Leonid meteor shower.
>These points need to be considered.
>2. It traveled West to East.
And the impact of events that are rare for an individual observer:
>5. Some of the descriptions used the words "massive" and
>"awsome". "The most beautiful thing I've ever seen". Meteors do not inspire
>such adjectives.
Finally, it reminds me of the limits of my own knowledge, so...
Can anyone tell me how to distinguish a major bolide from a spacecraft
re-entry (in general terms)?
David Cross
------- End of Forwarded Message
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