[meteorite-list] Fireball Fragments May Be Scattered Across Colorado

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:53:33 2004
Message-ID: <200212080432.UAA05484_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.montrosepress.com/display/inn_local_news/2.txt

Fireball fragments may be scattered across county
Greg Johnson
Montrose Press (Colorado)
December 7, 2002

MONTROSE -- A meteor that lit up the night sky Nov. 28 may have
weighed up to a ton and broken up over western Colorado, researchers
from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science have found.

Montrose and Gunnison counties "are
likely locations" to find meteorites from the meteor, which broke up while
plummeting through the atmosphere, according to a report from the museum.

The museum has been gathering data on the event, which produced
hundreds of sightings and was captured by a camera atop Montrose High
School.

"The eyewitness reports are especially helpful in determining the track of
the fireball," said Jack Murphy, curator of geology and head of the museum's
meteorite research team. "Due to all the sightings lately, there's a curiosity
factor that has prompted people to watch for meteors, and that will help our
research."

The meteor may have left more than a memory of a lifetime for Western
Slope residents, Murphy said. The fireball may have scattered meteorites
throughout Montrose and Gunnison counties.

"Researchers are determining the object's orbit through the solar
system," the report says. "Meteorites recovered after a big fireball such as
this are found to originate from a parent body in the asteroid belt, a
well-known region between Mars and Jupiter."

The images captured at Montrose High School, which is part of the
museum's All Sky network of cameras, show the meteor breaking up in the
atmosphere about midway through its descent, the report says.
Received on Sat 07 Dec 2002 11:32:54 PM PST


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