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(meteorobs) Suggested terminology: Bolide vs. fireball vs. meteor
BTW, just a short note: terminology is very loose here, but we generally use
"bolide" to describe meteors which show signs of explosion or fragmentation:
otherwise, a meteor of magnitude -3 or brighter (or mag -4 or even mag -5 or
brighter in some authorities) is just called a "fireball"... Finally, a meteor
fainter than -3, no matter how gorgeous it may be, is "just" a meteor. :)
Again, some folks (authorities and others) differ from this usage, but in the
interest of avoiding confusion, we've generally agreed on these definitions.
Clear skies and many meteors, fireballs AND bolides to everyone!
Lew
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