[meteorite-list] Nighttime fireball over Palm Springs

From: Bernd Pauli HD <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:01:31 2004
Message-ID: <3CFE7799.D8B23EA5_at_lehrer1.rz.uni-karlsruhe.de>

John Reed wrote:

> Here's interesting meteorite experience that happened when I lived
> in Palm Springs CA some years ago. I went out in my backyard one night,
> it was the middle of the night, I noticed a shooting star at about 11
> o'clock in the sky, 12 being straight up, it was fast with a short tail
> all over in about 2 seconds then maybe 3 seconds later the sound of like
> a propeller chopping the wind came over the top of my head (I am going
> to guess 150-200 ft)all in about a 10th of a second and it was literally
> humming like a motor The general direction it was travailing is 85% open
> desert for about 15 miles. That was about 1986. At the time I figured
> meteorites were fairly common occurrence so I never thought more about it.
> This fall I am going to look for that meteorite I know what direction it
> was traveling and also the angle I am not sure how high it was although I
> heard it, but out in the desert it is very quite in the middle of the night
> ... Also how much further do you think it may have gone? Thanks John


Hello John and List,

If it had happened in 1976, then it might have been the San Juan
Capistrano H6 chondrite, which was recovered after falling through
the aluminium roof of a carport (two partly-crusted interlocking
fragments, total weight 56 g). It fell on March 15, sometime during
midnight and 4 AM. San Juan Capistrano is about 111 km (75 miles)
to the west of Palm Springs, CA, south of Los Angeles.

Cheers,

Bernd
Received on Wed 05 Jun 2002 04:42:01 PM PDT