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(meteorobs) HAWAII FIREBALL CONFIRMED!



Here is a message I just received from a friend of mine, who happened to
be observing from the NW corner of Oahu, and he saw my fireball too!
Apparently, he had clearer skies than I did on Maui, and actually saw
the trail, heading easterly. Since the path started near 10:40 -2, it
could not have been a VIR, as I originally guessed.

Based on our separation of 210km, with the meteor approximately along a
line between us, and my observed terminal altitude of 30° and his
observed altitude of 5°, I calculate the meteor must have been about a
height of 21.6km at the terminal phase, and 37km ENE of central Maui,
that would put its closest point to land about 20km NE of Hana on the
far eastern tip of Maui. It must have been even more spectacular out
there! I bet someone out there must have been surprised last night!

However, at such a low height, I would expect some sounds to be heard?
Yet I heard nothing. A third observation would help a lot to triangulate
it better, because due to my clouds, my estimate of the altitude of the
terminal phase could be substantially in error.

Mike.

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GREAT!!!
I was looking for people who saw it also:
I saw the end at 10:32pm from dillingham airfield,
while observing a comet through my telescope, and
first thought someone was turning his car high beam
headlights at me - but no car could be in that direction!
Then I saw the end of the fireball, azimuth 85-90 elevation
15 down to 5 in the trees with several flashes.
I estimated it very roughly to mag -11 +-2, but I mostly
only saw the sky getting bright in my scope, at the beginning.
Nicolas
[I think I have roughly estimated the begin/end of the trail
 I saw (not a persistent one, just the trajectory) to RA/Dec
10h40 -2 --> 11h25 -4, but I must check my notes]

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