[meteorite-list] Apparent Meteor Flashes In The Sky Over Vermont

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:37:38 2004
Message-ID: <200012281917.LAA25302_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://rutlandherald.nybor.com/News/AtAGlance/Story/17567.html

Apparent meteor flashes in the sky
Rutland Herald (Vermont)
December 28, 2000

The Associated Press

BURLINGTON - A bright object that raced across the Vermont and was seen by
scores of people was probably a meteor, officials say.

Reports of the object, which was heading east to west at about 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, came in from around the state: Vergennes, Milton, Guilford, Essex,
Berlin.

"It was very green -- neon green -- streaking across the sky," said Donna
Day of Essex. "It had an orange tail. It disappeared behind the horizon and
there was a flash of light."

The National Weather Service took many calls Tuesday evening about the
object, including one from the Vermont State Police and another from Vermont
Emergency Management, said Bill Grady, a forecaster at the weather office.

Grady said he didn't see it, and doesn't know what it was, but he guesses it
was probably a meteor.

Many witnesses said the object seemed close, and appeared to crash nearby.
But Grady said it was probably much farther away than it appeared.

"Normally if it lands, you're going to hear that sucker," Grady said. No
reports came in about noise associated with the apparent meteor.

The object was bright enough to be seen clearly even under city lights.
Gloria Gibson of Colchester said she saw it as she drove north on Shelburne
Road.

"I saw what looked like a small comet," Gibson said. "It looked like it was
immediately going to hit down, I would have said on North Avenue."

Gibson described the object as bright yellow. She opened her car window to
hear what she thought would be a crash, but she didn't notice any noise.

Grady said no major meteor showers are expected this time of year, but every
once in a while a rogue celestial object crashes into the Earth's
atmosphere.
Received on Thu 28 Dec 2000 02:17:39 PM PST