[meteorite-list] Re: Another possibly-misidentified fireball

From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:34 2004
Message-ID: <20031023005203.42249.qmail_at_web60302.mail.yahoo.com>

Apparently, I'm not the only one that finds it hard to
believe that this fireball was from a meteor shower:

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From: http://www.meteorobs.org

Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 18:07:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: nmcleod_at_peganet.com
Subject: Re: Another possibly-misidentified fireball

>http://www.heraldonline.com/local/story/2962813p-2716565c.html
>
>Bright lights in tri-county night sky were caused by
>meteor showers, experts say

Any time something like this happens at, or near, the
maximum of a shower, the "experts" instantly
identify the unknown object as a member of the
shower. Often it came from the "showers."
 
The experts include such categories as meteorologists
and non-observing professional astronomers.
They don't know a thing about meteor behavior,
especially that most of the major showers are not
visible so early in the evening.

Concerning the spectacular reentry over Washington
State a few years ago in November, an unknowledgable
astronomer pinned this object on the Leonids
despite the early evening appearance.

Norman
Norman W. McLeod III
Staff Advisor
American Meteor Society

Fort Myers, Florida
nmcleod_at_peganet.com

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Date: Tue, 21 Oct 2003 15:45:37 -0700
From: Ed Majden <epmajden_at_shaw.ca>
Subject: Re: Another possibly-misidentified fireball

- ----- Original Message -----
From: <nmcleod_at_peganet.com>
Subject: Re: Another possibly-misidentified fireball


> Any time something like this happens at, or near,
> the maximum of a shower,
> the "experts" instantly identify the unknown
> object as a member of the shower. Often it came
> from the "showers." The experts include such
> categories as meteorologists and non-observing
> professional astronomers.
> They don't know a thing about meteor behavior,
> especially that most of the major showers are not
> visible so early in the evening.
>
    This happens time and time again! Some of this
can be blamed on the press or reporter doing the
interview. Boy, can they distort and misquote
what you tell them! Ask to see the copy before they
use it.

The above is also true about the identification of
meteorites. Some geologists and astronomers from
other fields wouldn't recognise a meteorite if it hit
them on the head. Often experts aren't 100% sure
until the appropriate lab tests are done.

Ed Majden

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Received on Wed 22 Oct 2003 08:52:03 PM PDT