[meteorite-list] Schoolboy's Fireball Photo Amazes NASA

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:19 2004
Message-ID: <200310011723.KAA13066_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_east/3155928.stm

Schoolboy's photo amazes Nasa
BBC News
October 1, 2003

A schoolboy has impressed experts at American
space agency Nasa after capturing a rare picture
of a meteor burning out above his home town in
south Wales.

Jonathan Burnett, 15, was taking snaps of his
friends performing skateboarding stunts near his
home in Pencoed near Bridgend when a bright light
in the sky caught his attention.

He took two photographs of the fiery ball before it
burned out and rushed home to show his parents.

Later, he emailed the picture to Nasa asking for an
explanation and was amazed to discover that the
space experts were so impressed with his snap they
had published it on their website.

His father Paul explained: "He has a digital camera
and was out taking some pictures of his friends on
the street.

"A little boy ran over and shouted 'look the sun has
exploded' and Jonathan turned around and
managed to take two pictures of it.

"None of us knew what it was and we thought that
maybe it was a plane that had exploded.

"We were really keen to find out what it was, and so
without us realising it, Jonathan had emailed the
picture to experts at Nasa to ask for an explanation.

"The next thing we knew that they had used the
picture on their website" he said.

Jonathan, who attends Pencoed Comprehensive
School, said: "It was such a coincidence that we
happened to be in the street at the time.

"I was trying out my new camera to take pictures of
my friend who was doing a skateboarding trick.

"I took the first picture and then about
two minutes later I took the second one
before it burned out.

"One of our first thoughts was that it was
the sun reflecting off the clouds.

"Everyone in school is amazed - most of
my friends believe me but there are some
who said they don't believe me.

"I am really interested in photography -
but I don't think I will ever manage to
take another picture like that," he added.

On its website Nasa described the
teenager's picture as a "sofa-sized rock
came hurtling into the nearby atmosphere of
planet Earth and disintegrated".

"By diverting his camera, he was able to
document this rare sky event and capture one
of the more spectacular meteor images yet
recorded. Roughly one minute later, he took
another picture of the dispersing meteor trial.

Bright fireballs occur over someplace on Earth
nearly every day.

"A separate bolide, likely even more dramatic,
struck India only a few days ago."
Received on Wed 01 Oct 2003 01:23:23 PM PDT