[meteorite-list] FIREBALL -- 1972

From: Sterling K. Webb <kelly_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Jul 10 00:46:17 2005
Message-ID: <42D0A7F5.7963AAED_at_bhil.com>

Hi, All,

    A photo of the August 10, 1972 daylight fireball can be found at:
<http://faculty.rmwc.edu/tmichalik/atmosphere6.htm>

    A better photo of the same, though smaller, at
<http://www.stardome.org.nz/archived/famousfireballs.html>

    There is or was an 8-mm movie of the event, but I can't find it on the Web anywhere.

    A very complete description of the event, size, altitude, speed, and calculation of its orbit, can be found at:
<http://comets.amsmeteors.org/meteors/1972.html>

    The object's "graze" path was about 1000 miles long, meaning the part of its orbit that was as close or lower than 60 miles or so of the Earth's surface. It was at its lowest point over Montana at about 35 miles up.

    Original mass estimate was 1000 tons if an iron. Revised estimates run from 4000 tons up to 1,000,000 tons if a stone. Of course, it wsould have lost a lot of mass if had entered the atmosphere all the way to the surface at a shallow angle.

    However, it did not "skip." Its orbit just didn't intersect the Earth's surface. If it had, a pretty much Hiroshima sized event or several would have resulted.

    It was "determined that it was very likely that this object would again come close to Earth within the period of 1997 July 30 to August 16, with August 8 being the most probable date. [It was} pointed out that if the crossing date was August 11, Earth would be in the same place and some encounter was possible."

    Orbital elements are a quarrel, but it could be back.


Sterling K. Webb
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"jwb7772_at_netzero.net" wrote:

> These are all interesting post and the kind of thing we all like to read about!
> Buy I stand fast! I know what I saw and such an awsum sight can NEVER be forgotten! And as a meteorite changes shape from melting it can easily be driven upward. I once saw one flying parallel to the ground! Don't forget that is how the lifting body was dezined with the help of meteorite expert L. Lapaz. The shape determans the life of the rock. And speed is varried due to how and ware it hits the atmosphere. Remember the one in the Tetons? It was level with the ground!
> I have also seen them blow up in mid air sort of like they hit a wall! But as everyone knows it was probably so far away that I did not even try to look for it.
> The piece that I found is probably not that rock. It was just in the area of about one mile square that I searched. But it is all fun! And it is fun for us all to talk about it!
Received on Sun 10 Jul 2005 12:45:41 AM PDT