[meteorite-list] NASA In A Spin Over Meteor Shot

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:20 2004
Message-ID: <200310031448.HAA04848_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/content_objectid=13474802_method=full_siteid=50082_headline=-Nasa-in-a-spin-over-meteor-shot-name_page.html

Nasa in a spin over meteor shot
ic Wales (United Kingdom)
October 3, 2003

A STUNNING picture of a meteor burning up in the sky snapped by a schoolboy
out on his skateboard has divided some of the world's top scientists.

Nasa says the image is one of the best the institution has ever seen, but Welsh
astronomers claimed last night the photograph could be bogus.

Jonathan Burnett's picture has caused a global frenzy among space anoraks
who have been tracking him down to quiz him about the meteor.

But some have started questioning his amazing snap even claiming that it may
have been manufactured using a computer. The remarkable shot has made
15-year-old Jonathan a star at Nasa, which made his photo Astronomy Picture
of the Day - beating off pictures from professional competitors from around the
world.

Jonathan, from Pencoed, near Bridgend, was taking action photographs of his
skateboarding friends when they spotted the orange ball of fire tearing across
the evening sky.

The quick-thinking teenager grabbed his new digital camera to capture the
once-in-a-lifetime frame. Then he e-mailed his picture to the Nasa space
centre in Houston, Texas - where experts said it was one of the best shots of a
meteor they'd ever seen.

But Jonathan is upset at accusations that his picture is a fake. His mother said
last night, "Jonathan wasn't sure what it was when the picture was taken and
he and his friends thought it could have been a number of things.

"It was experts such as astronomers who said it was a meteor when he
e-mailed the picture to Nasa.

"Now people everywhere are saying that it may have been doctored and
Jonathan is very upset by this."

Shortly after being praised by Nasa, proud shooting star Jonathan said, "I was
skateboarding with my mates in the park when a little boy pointed into the sky
and said, 'The sun's exploding'.

"I looked up and saw a fireball dropping through the sky but I had no idea what
it was. I grabbed my camera and fired off a couple of pictures.

"My mum and dad suggested I sent it off to Nasa to ask what it was and they
ended up using it as their picture of the day. I was stunned.

"I had the camera on me because I'm just getting used to using it - I've only
had it for a month. I was just trying to get some action shots of my friends.

"Everyone in school is amazed by my meteor picture - some people at school
can't believe it."

On the website, a Nasa expert describes the photo as "one of the more
spectacular sky images yet recorded."

It says, "A sofa-sized rock came hurtling into the atmosphere of planet earth
and disintegrated. By diverting his camera, Jonathan was able to document this
rare sky event and capture one of the more spectacular meteor images yet
recorded."

But the Space Guard Centre, which analyses the threat posed by meteors to
Earth, said the schoolboy's amazing picture could be a fake.

Centre spokesman Jay Tate, who is based in Knighton, Powys, claimed a
photograph of a meteor could be drafted in 10 minutes using a computer.

"It's difficult to give an accurate assessment of this without knowing the scale
of the meteor in the picture," Mr Tate said. "It's obvious the picture has been
magnified, but I'm dubious as Jonathan was using a common digital camera.
Bridgend is a populated area so why didn't anyone else see this?

"Looking at the smoke trail of the meteor I would expect this to measure a
couple of metres across and probably shot tens of miles up in the air.

"If something of this size was photographed just five miles up it would have had
the potential of flattening a large city.

"There is considerable scepticism among experts regarding this photograph.
Until we get more information about what camera he was using, the exposure,
the lens, and the weather conditions on the evening we will remain dubious. I'm
not accusing anyone of doctoring it, but we need to know more about it."

Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik, who was influential in persuading the
Government to set up a committee looking into the threat posed by Near Earth
objects, said, "If the photo is genuine it is of truly astronomical significance.

"I am delighted young people are taking an enthusiastic approach to the dangers
posed by meteors. However, many experts feel that Jonathan's picture isn't
accurate, and to get the picture he may have taken a trip in a spaceship to snap
it. I cannot tell. But it was worthy of Nasa's picture of the day. Jonathan has
shown great initiative and whatever happens he should get 10 out of 10 for
effort."
Received on Fri 03 Oct 2003 10:48:07 AM PDT


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