[meteorite-list] Meteorite Could Have Fallen In Ireland

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:30 2004
Message-ID: <200302261829.KAA26666_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0226/meteorite.html

Meteorite Could Have Fallen In County Galway
RTE
February 26, 2003

A preliminary report about the fireball witnessed over Irish skies
earlier this month has suggested a meteorite may have fallen in County
Galway, Galway Bay, or off the coast of Clare.

Astronomy Ireland says it took over 200 written reports in the three
days following the sighting of a fireball over Ireland on 12 February.
The organisation says the path of the object was more
roughly from the north east to south west.

According to a preliminary report issued today, the fireball would
have entered the earth's atmosphere at roughly 100,000 mph and started
glowing about 100 miles above Ireland.

In just a couple of seconds it would have slowed down and streaked
across the sky glowing extremely brightly, burning out perhaps 15-20
miles above the ground.

This end point is where any meteorites would have fallen, silently
and invisibly as they would no longer be glowing. They would
have struck the ground, or the sea, at only 200 mph, roughly 5 minutes
after the fireball flash.

Meteorites hitting the earth at this relatively low speed would have
caused no crater and any meteorites would have been cold to the
touch had anyone been nearby to pick them up.

Once the likely location of this possible meteorite fall has been
accurately determined, a search of the land can be started. It may
then be possible to locate that rarest form of space debris - an Irish
meteorite.

Irish meteorites are valued at between EUR200 and EUR500 per gram,
i.e. up to EUR500,000 per kilo, so the society does not recommend
selling to meteorite collectors outside Ireland.

Free and impartial advice can be given to anyone who finds a meteorite
if they contact Astronomy Ireland.

Astronomy Ireland is again appealing to the operators of all outdoor
video cameras in Ireland to check their recordings for 7.10am on 12
February.

A special form has been set up on Astronomy Ireland's website at
www.astronomy.ie. If you do not have access to the internet then you
can call Astronomy Ireland on (01) 847 0777 Monday to Saturday up to 6pm.
Received on Wed 26 Feb 2003 01:29:51 PM PST