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Re: Fireball over Iceland
Just in from Reykjavik...
A meteor was seen in many parts of Iceland last night (Jan. 30th) at 20:18
U.T. and it was seen to explode in the sky. The coastguard had a report from
a boat 18 miles north-west of Straumness that a distress flare had been seen
in the sky but the dispatch of the coastguard's ship and helicopter was
cancelled when it
looked like it was a meteorite.
Sveinn Vignisson was amongst those who saw the meteorite whilst
travelling with others in Thjorsardal. "First we saw a huge bluish glow in the
sky. Six to eight seconds later we saw, what appeared to be just in front of
the car, a fantastic smoke cloud, red with a long tail of fire. Then this
changed into a greenish and then yellowish glow with a lot of flames.
Everything was lit up around us for about 15 - 20 seconds. Then it
disappeared", said Sveinn.
Air traffic controller Torfi Gunnlaugsson was on duty in the control tower in
Akureyri with Gunnar Egilsson and they both saw the event. "It seemed to
come from the south-east in a 45-degree angle. It was a light-green light
the size of a ship's distress flare but then this streak followed the light.
Then it extinguished in front of our eyes, in what I thought to be a north-
east or easterly direction from the tower at about 300 feet high. Then it was
like raining firedrops. At the same minute those in an aeroplane coming to
Akureyri from Reykjavik, which was 35 nautical miles south-west of the
airport, started to talk about a meteorite had lit up their cabin. At the same
time another aeroplane going from Husavik to Reykjavik and a third from
Egilsstadir also saw this", said Torfi.
According to astronomer Thorsteinn Saemundsson it was a bright meteor
but nothing very unusual about it. These things occur a few times per year.
Thorsteinn had many calls from people last night. Also many phoned police
stations, the weather office and the coastguard.
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