[meteorite-list] Huge Ball of Fire Spotted Over Spain

From: Michael Fowler <mqfowler_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Apr 13 13:22:21 2005
Message-ID: <c1d047947a4f7e7b7998ebc6a8e3bc1b_at_mac.com>

Don't know how they would determine the velocity as 10,000 KPH, but if
correct, it would indicate a satellite re-entry, as that is much too
low for any interplanetary objects, which have to have as a minimum
the earth's escape velocity plus any additional relative velocity they
had while traveling in space.

Mike Fowler
Chicago




http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/other_news/
&articleid=234883

'Huge ball of fire' over Spain
Sapa-AFP
Madrid, Spain
13 April 2005

A meteorite that residents described as a "huge ball of fire" was
spotted
on Wednesday over the eastern Spanish regions of Catalonia and Valencia,
according to astronomers in the region.

"We received scores of calls from witnesses, who at first thought it was
an asteroid flashing past. But judging from its size, it was a
meteorite," said a spokesperson for a Catalonia-based astronomers'
association.

Motorists spotted the glowing sphere from the motorway linking Spain
with southern France and reported seeing it break up into fragments.

The meteorite glowed a greenish hue as it sped through the atmosphere on
a northeast-southeast trajectory.

"That leads us to think it fell into the sea," the spokesperson said.

The observatory at Valencia University said it estimates the celestial
body was travelling at around 10 000kph when it entered the atmosphere.
Received on Wed 13 Apr 2005 01:22:15 PM PDT