[meteorite-list] Images of Denver 'Thanksgiving' Meteor Released

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:53:33 2004
Message-ID: <200212061704.JAA02253_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E53%257E1032766%257E,00.html

Images of meteor released
By Catherine Tsai
The Associated Press
December 06, 2002

Security-camera images noticed by a guard working on Thanksgiving
offered some of the best pictures of a fireball seen by hundreds of
people that night, scientists said Thursday.

Three cameras in Montrose, Englewood and Longmont captured
pictures of the Thanksgiving meteoroid, which may have weighed
up to a ton as it entered Earth's atmosphere, said scientists with the
Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

The museum released the security camera images Thursday.

Physicist Chris Peterson estimated the meteor was the size of
a filing cabinet

"A basketball is impressive. A filing cabinet lights up the whole
valley," he said.

After reviewing data, Peterson and the museum's curator of
geology, Jack Murphy, said the object likely streaked from
about 50 to 70 miles high at 30,000 to 40,000 mph and exploded
5 to 10 miles above ground east of Montrose.

Anywhere from 20 pounds to 50 pounds of meteorites as small
as gravel or as large as a softball may be littered around
Montrose.
Received on Fri 06 Dec 2002 12:04:27 PM PST