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Re: (meteorobs) FIREBALLS people !!



Wayne,
  I respectfully disagree with, especially your first sentence..."What's to discuss, Jim", your apathetic approach to
potential major events. How can you possibly mean "what's to discuss". Isn't that why the meteorobs mailing list was
implemented... to discuss meteor observations. I don't believe such casual comments describe the passion most list
members have for DISCUSSION and investigation of especially major meteor events. Although the apparent Big Bend event was
aptly uncovered by Dr. Tony Phillips as being an optical abberation, readily admitted to by Park officials, at least HE
investigated and passed along information. You on the other hand simply relegated a possible major event to happen
chance...no big deal.......then touted your observation of a -7 as a big deal. If you wanna compare sizes, I live in El
Paso Tx where in Oct. of 1997, a fireball brighter than the sun detonated in daylight directly overhead. I observed the
blinding flash then heard the thunder of the blast which rattled homes for 70 miles around. I was part of the subsequent
investigation of that event which was conducted over a period of several weeks by Peter Brown and Alan Hildebrand. Then,
on Aug. 28 of 2000, I observed a night time fireball, the burn time of which lasted 10 seconds, with a mag of -14. Sandia
Labs thought that was a big deal too. So much so that I am now operating an all sky camera system as part of the Lab's
fireball detection network.
  So you see, Wayne, these things are big deals...not only to me but to everyone else on the list.
  Are there an unusually high number of fireballs raining down upon us ? Well, are there ? Check it out.
  Oh, and by the by, Jim B's report turned out to be quite something.
  No disrespect meant, Wayne. But some people are more serious about this than just standing out in the backyard counting
shooting stars.
Respectfully,
Jim Gamble
gamble@peoplepc.com
http://www.geocities.com/desert_lights/

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