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(meteorobs) Fireball Sunday morning?
Hi everyone,
At the NJAA we had the first annual meteor observing party this past
Sunday morning. In addition to the experienced observers, Kevin K and
myself, we had 5 (!!!!!) first time official meteor observers. I'm still
massaging their first reports; they'll be posted this weekend. LM was only
fair and rates were pretty low (for me) but everyone had a great time and
promised to do it again (and I beat on 'em about the Leonids :->).
One event I'd like to mention. At approximately 05:12:52 UT (01:12:52 EDT)
a bright flash lit the southeast sky, about azimuth 140 from our location
near High Bridge in NW NJ.COORDINATES: 74d 53' 54" West 40d 40' 52" North
ELEVATION: 830 feet (253 Meters). Our horizon is at about 10 degrees in
that direction, and although I was facing that way, did not see a fireball,
but I assume that is what it must have been. So, figuring the brightness of
the flash, with an elevation of 10 degrees placing the fireball (if that's
what it was) at least 600 km away, that would place it several hundred km
offshore of the Delmarva Peninsula, with a magnitude of at least -8 for
observers along the coast; certainly it's absolute overhead magnitude must
have been much higher. I'm surprised that there were no panicky calls to
officials.
The question is, did anyone else see this event? We'd love to know if it
was a fireball.
Thanx,
All the meteor observers at the NJAA, including
Wayne Tv Hally
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