[meteorite-list] Meteorite "fall" Vs. "Shower"

From: Sterling K. Webb <kelly_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:09:59 2004
Message-ID: <3E893105.A9ECA163_at_bhil.com>

Hi, Michael, Everybody,

    You're probably right that the answer is "no."

    However, about that terminology. When a rock is in space,
it's a meteroid. When a meteoroid gets involved with a planet and
its atmosphere, it's a meteor. When a meteor survives to reach
the planetary surface or something on the planetary surface, it's
gets promoted to meteorite.
    We call the comet-associated swarms of meteoroids that sweep
the earth at regular orbital intervals meteor showers in advance
of the event because we have no expectation that any of them will
ever make it to the ground.
    But they are called showers because of their close
association in time and space. (That's close in celestial terms;
a meteor at the beginning of a shower may be millions of miles
and hours away from one at the end of a shower.)
    Presumably, rocks and dust that are not going to contact the
earth are meteoroid showers, except it sounds more professional
if you call them meteoroid streams. (Then there's always the old
science fiction standby: the "meteor swarm"! Good to avoid that
one.)
    It seems obvious to me that a rain of rocks from the sky is a
"meteorite shower." However, you could argue that even the
1,000's of fragments of something like Holbrook started out as
one lousy rock and one rock does not a shower make. Of course,
they're not meteorites until they reach the ground, so by the
time they become meteorites, there are 1,000's! One meteor (not a
shower) becomes a meteorite shower.
    However, since the term "shower" obscures a fundamental fact
about meteoritic break-up in the atmosphere, I bet it's not a
term naybody likes.
    But I'll bet if you were standing under one, like Winslow
Street in Park Forest at 12:30 a.m., 03-27-03, "shower" would
seem a completely under-dramatic term. "Barrage" might have
suited it better!


Sterling K. Webb
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael L Blood wrote:

> Hi Ron,
> The answer to your question, "is there any way to
> educate these
> people?" is "no."
> Anyone who has ever been involved in a newspaper
> reported
> event knows they NEVER get it "right." For them to "become
> educated" requires an incident or series of incidences that
> goes
> on for weeks and weeks. The more "competition" (TV, Radio,
> newspapers
> magazines, etc) there AND the longer the "air time" (in terms
> of
> days, weeks and months) the more they SLOWLY become somewhat
> more sophisticated.
> BTW, just as a matter of interest: when you have a fall
> such as
> this with dozens and dozens of stones, it IS a SORT of
> "shower." Just
> not in keeping with the common usage of terms regarding falls.
> Best wishes, Michael
>
>
>
> on 3/31/03 8:50 AM, MrX3010_at_aol.com at MrX3010@aol.com wrote:
>
>
> I have a proposition can anyone anywhere please tell
> me why every time there is a "meteorite fall" the
> media repeatedly calls it a meteor shower? I mean we
> all know what a meteor shower is. Is there anyway to
> educate these people? They are supposed to be the
> ones reporting the news and educating others. I know
> this seems to be no big deal but think of it like
> this. Every time one of these ill informed media
> outlets makes a statement about a meteor fall and
> calls it a "shower" it's usually reported in the
> morning before most go to work or school. Work and
> school is where everyone including teachers spreads
> the false information like wildfire. Im just curious
> does this bother anyone else but me?
>
> Thanks,
> Ron
>
> The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are
> always so
> certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.
> Bertrand Russell
> --
> Worth Seeing:
> - Earth at night from satelite:
>
> ttp://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/image/0011/earthlights_dmsp_big.jpg
>
> - Interactive Lady Liberty:
> http://doody36.home.attbi.com/liberty.htm
> - Earth - variety of choices:
> http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/vplanet.html
> --
> Panoramic view of Meteor Crater:
>
> ttp://www.virtualguidebooks.com/Arizona/GrandCanyonRoute66/MeteorCrater/MeteorCraterRimL.html
>
> --
> Cool Calendar & Clock:
> http://www.yugop.com/ver3/stuff/03/fla.html
> --
> Michael Blood Meteorites & Didgeridoos for sale at:
> http://www.michaelbloodmeteorites.com/
>
>
Received on Tue 01 Apr 2003 01:26:15 AM PST