[meteorite-list] Fireball Over Australia

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:31:09 2004
Message-ID: <200404011808.KAA03706_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,9158323%255E3102,00.html

Great ball of fire! No April Fool's joke
Louise Crossen and Peter Morley
The Courier-Mail (Australia)
April 2, 2004

AUTHORITIES are still in the dark about a mysterious fireball
that appeared over Winton on Wednesday night - although some
sceptics are claiming the spectacular light show was an early
April Fool's Day joke.

Winton Mayor Bruce Collins said a few tall tales were already
doing the rounds.

"Everyone has got a story about where they were when it happened,
and there have been people who thought the whole thing was just
an April Fool's Day joke," Cr Collins said.

"But I saw the tail end of it myself, and it was real all right."

Resident Neal Elliot said he had been walking when "a ball of
fire fell out of the sky" about 7pm.

"A young girl came running out from one of the houses, her face
all white and her eyes popping out of her head. Everyone came
spilling on to the street, just looking up at the sky.

"I knew it was something from outer space - it was just unreal."

Winton police sergeant Wayne Lynn said an explosion rocked the
town minutes after the light display.

"We thought the world was coming to an end," Sgt Lynn said.

Winton sheep grazier P.J. Elliott said his mouth was so wide
that "if a plain turkey flew into it the bird would go straight
down without touching the sides".

"Whatever it was, it scared the living daylights out of me, "
Mr Elliott, 30, said.

"I was so shaken I thought about tying dogs to my bedroom door
that night.

"But they might not have been much help. When I saw the fireball
I was about 11/2km from home and I could hear those mutts
howling in a most peculiar way."

There was speculation the mysterious light display was caused by
a piece of space junk, but University of Queensland astrophysics
lecturer Dr Michael Drinkwater said it was more likely to have
been a fast-moving meteor.

"This is what we call a fireball - basically a small meteor
moving at thousands of kilometres an hour," he said.

"The bright head, red glow and vapor trail are typical of a
rocky meteor."

He said the explosion heard by locals was likely to be a sonic
boom - a series of shockwaves caused by the enormous speed of
the meteor.

"The noise doesn't indicate it hit anything - it probably burnt
up in the atmosphere," Dr Drinkwater said.
Received on Thu 01 Apr 2004 01:07:53 PM PST