[meteorite-list] Fireball Flashes Across The Sky In England

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:06:56 2004
Message-ID: <200210071627.JAA07337_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/page.cfm?objectid=12261512&method=full&siteid=50003

Fireball flashes across the sky
October 7, 2002

People across Coventry and Warwickshire were among those who saw a
fireball shoot across the sky early Sunday morning.

Sightings were also reported along England's south coast and Wales.

Coventry astronomer George Dunphy, aged 71, had been observing Jupiter and
Saturn from his home in Wyken Avenue.

He said: "I decided to call it a day at about 5.30am and I crawled upstairs to go
to bed. Just as I was opening the curtains, there was a great fireball that went
across the sky.

"At first I thought it was probably a distress pistol from Coventry Airport and
something had happened to an aircraft on the runway.

"It lasted between two and 2½ seconds and travelled in an arc across the sky
from east to south-west.

"It was very vivid, like a red blue ball of fire - the biggest and brightest thing I
have seen in the sky for 40 years."

Andy Salmon, of the Birmingham Astronomical Society, said it may have been a
meteor - space debris burning up in the atmosphere.

He said: "Meteors can happen at any time . . . there's no predicting when it may
happen."

Local aviation authorities confirmed the object was not aircraft-related.
 
Received on Mon 07 Oct 2002 12:27:13 PM PDT