[meteorite-list] Thanksgiving Socal fireball

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From: Matson, Robert <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:17:39 2004
Message-ID: <AF564D2B9D91D411B9FE00508BF1C86901B4EFCB_at_US-Torrance.mail.saic.com>

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Hi Art!

> I was fortunate enough to be sitting next to a low campfire (facing south)
in Joshua
> Tree National Park (Jumbo Rocks) on Thanksgiving evening and witnessed the
> fragmenting fireball you mentioned.

I'm thrilled to learn that my family and I weren't the only ones to witness
this bright, fragmenting bolide over southern California! This very likely
produced some meteorites, and for once they didn't end up in the drink.
Between my observation and yours in Joshua Tree, we may be able
to triangulate a general location for impact, and perhaps another
observer will turn up closer to this location.

I know exactly where Jumbo Rocks is (I've rock climbed there many
times!) so we'll at least have good coordinates for our respective viewing
locations. The bolide would have been lower on the horizon for you since
it was southeast of my location in Rancho Bernardo. I first acquired it
at about 25 degrees above the south-southeast horizon (roughly azimuth
160) and it started to fragment 2 to 3 seconds later. It was visible for at
least 4 seconds, with the fragments fading around 15 degrees above
~azimuth 130. Magnitude was tough to estimate -- somewhere from
-6 to -9. Perhaps a little brighter than this before I acquired it.

My location was 33.038N, 117.087W, so if extinction occurred at an
altitude of 20 km, it would have been about 75 km southeast of Rancho
Bernardo, putting it very close to the Mexican border -- perhaps near
Canyon City?

Your location in Joshua Tree should help a lot as far as triangulation,
since you were located northeast of me.

Best,
Rob

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<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>Hi
Art!</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=""><FONT size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>> I was fortunate
enough to be sitting next to a low campfire (facing south) in
Joshua</FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=""><FONT size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>> Tree National
Park (Jumbo Rocks) on Thanksgiving evening and witnessed
the</FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=""><FONT size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial><FONT face=sans-serif size=2>> fragmenting
fireball you mentioned</FONT></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT><FONT face=""><FONT
size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003><FONT color=#0000ff
face=Arial>.</FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=""><FONT size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial></FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=""><FONT size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial>I'm thrilled to learn that my family and I weren't
the only ones to witness</FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=""><FONT size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial>this bright, fragmenting bolide over
southern California!  This very
likely</FONT></SPAN></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>produced some meteorites, and for once they didn't end
up in the drink.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>Between my observation and yours in Joshua Tree, we may
be able</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>to
triangulate a general location for impact, and perhaps
another</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>observer will turn up closer to this
location.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>I know
exactly where Jumbo Rocks is (I've rock climbed there many</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>times!) </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial
size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>so we'll </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff
face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>at least have good coordinates
for our respective viewing</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>locations. </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial
size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>The bolide </SPAN></FONT><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>would have been
lower on the horizon for you since</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>it was
</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>southeast of my </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff
face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>location in Rancho
Bernardo.  I first acquired it</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>at
about </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>25 degrees above the </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff
face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>south-southeast horizon
(roughly azimuth</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>160)
and </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>it started to fragment 2 to 3 </SPAN></FONT><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>seconds
later.  It was visible for at</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>least
4 </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>seconds, with the fragments fading </SPAN></FONT><FONT
color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>around 15 degrees
above</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>~azimuth 130.  Magnitude was tough to estimate --
</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>somewhere from</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>-6 to
-9.  Perhaps a little brighter than this before I acquired
</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>it.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>My
location was 33.038N, 117.087W, </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial
size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>so if extinction occurred at
an</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>altitude of 20 km, it would have been about 75 km
</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>southeast of Rancho</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>Bernardo, putting it very close to the Mexican border
-- </SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>perhaps near</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>Canyon
City?</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>Your
location in Joshua Tree should help a lot as far as
triangulation,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=309294919-04122003>since
</SPAN></FONT><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>you were located northeast of me.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>Best,</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003>Rob</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000ff face=Arial size=2><SPAN
class=309294919-04122003></SPAN></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>

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Received on Thu 04 Dec 2003 03:57:24 PM PST

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