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(meteorobs) CNN hails IMO
From http://asia.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/07/27/surfing.saturday :
"Surfing Into Saturday: Celestial sites search sky [...]
Earlier this week, a mysterious object falling from the sky sparked
renewed interest in how vulnerable the Earth is to such chance encounters.
But scientists downplayed the significance of the occurrence, saying it was
likely a stray meteor and happens more often than most people realize.
Here are some sites to learn about the nuances of space activity. [...]
International Meteor Organization
For a fee, you too can become a member of the International Meteor Organization.
Its continuing mission is to collect meteor observations from around the world and
disseminate the data to amateurs and professionals. The site offers tips on viewing
meteors, as well as software downloads to assist with your quest. Remember:
objects in telescope may be closer than they appear.
* http://www.amsmeteors.org/imo-mirror/index.html (mirror site) [...]"
There was also an interesting remark in the WGAL discussion forum on the
bolide at http://forums.ibsys.com/viewmessages.cfm?sitekey=lan&Forum=323&Topic=4241
(posted on July 24 at 6:17 PM) which throws a light on how the general public views
meteor astronomy these days:
"[...] many folks believed they were seeing an aircraft explosion. Normally
some astronomer would have alerted folks to the possibility of dramatic
sightings and sound, because we had not heard anything about meteor/ite
possibilities like this, most thought they were viewing a plane explosion. [...]"
So it is now considered "normal" that astronomers are able to predict each and
every meteor event in the sky, and if they don't one has to assume a plane
explosion! Apparently recent successes such as the prediction of the 1999
Leonids maximum to within 5 minutes have now been absorbed by the general public,
and embarassments like the 'late' 1993 Perseids are forgotten. We've come a long
way in the last few years ...
Daniel
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