[meteorite-list] Bright Lights In South Carolina Sky Caused By Meteor Showers, Experts Say

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:33 2004
Message-ID: <200310211513.IAA10329_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/2962813p-2716565c.html

Bright lights in tri-county night sky were caused by meteor showers, experts say

No confirmed reports of fragments hitting, emergency officials say

By Wendy Bigham
The Herald (South Carolina)
October 21, 2003

If you saw bright lights in the sky Monday night, it wasn't a UFO or a
crashing plane. It was a meteor shower.

The lights in York, Lancaster and Chester county skies were from meteor
showers generated from the constellation Orion, said meteorologist Rick
Neal with the National Weather Service.

The showers began about 9 p.m. and were expected to continue through the
early hours this morning, meteorologists said. Meteorologists predicted
10 to 15 meteors would streak across the sky per hour.

Meteor showers are caused by fragments left over from passing comets that
heat up as they fall through the atmosphere.

No one reported any damage from the meteors, emergency officials said.

Sgt. Carson Neely with the York County Sheriff's Office said dispatchers
fielded several calls about bright lights. Some thought a plane had
crashed, he said.

Many residents also felt their houses shake and some said items fell off
shelves in their homes, authorities said.

The Sheriff's Office and the York County Office of Emer-gency Management
is working with other agencies to see if something actually hit, said Ralph
Merchant, the center's 911 director.

"There have been no solid reports of damage or something hitting the ground,"
Merchant said. It may not be until sometime today when an airplane can see
for sure if a meteor hit the ground, he said.

In Chester, callers reported flashes that made the night appear like daytime
for a moment, said a supervisor at Chester County's 911 center.

Sgt. Kevan Waiters of the Lancaster County Sheriff's Department and other
deputies weren't sent to check any sightings.

Unlike his co-worker who saw flashes of light in the city of Lancaster,
Waiters didn't see anything in the part of Lancaster County closer to Fort
Mill. For him, it was a normal night of calls, but no meteors.

"I've been so busy, I didn't have a chance to look at the sky," Waiters
said.

Contact Wendy Bigham at 329-4068 or wbigham_at_heraldonline.com.
Received on Tue 21 Oct 2003 11:13:43 AM PDT