[meteorite-list] Exploding Fireball in New Zealand Proves a Mystery

From: dean bessey <deanbessey_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2007 12:22:22 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <300139.22468.qm_at_web56115.mail.re3.yahoo.com>

A couple days ago this "event" was the headline news
here in new zealand. It was reported as multiple
witnesses seeing a plane crash in a fireball in the
lake. It wasnt reported as a strange event (Not on the
6 oclock news anyway). It was reported as a plane
crash. Search and rescue and volunteers were doing a
search of the area even though no reports of planes
were missing and no planes were overdue on flight
plans and nobody had reported missing persons to the
police.
I might consider going to look for the possible
meteorite but cultural property laws here is such that
you are not even allowed to possess a meteorite more
than 30 days after finding it so I wont bother.
But in any case New Zealand has such huge amounts of
rainfall and a very lush countryside with lots of
trees and vegetation that is usually set against
volcanoes and mountains which are everywhere. This
keeps tourists coming (and happy) but the environment
would be almost impossible to find a meteorite in
anyway - and it wouldent last long with all the rain.
Cheers
DEAN



--- Ron Baalke <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov> wrote:

>
>
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/waikatotimes/3945431a6579.html
>
> Exploding fireball proves a mystery
> Waikato Times (New Zealand)
> 30 January 2007
>
> Was it a bird? Was it a plane? Was it a bird
> striking a plane?
>
> The exploding fireball which reportedly crashed to
> earth in or around
> Lake Waikare, near Te Kauwhata, on Sunday afternoon
> has so far proved a
> mystery.
>
> It might have been the most exciting event to occur
> in Te Kauwhata since
> the last police booze sting, but witness Grace
> Walters could only
> conclude it was "one of those things".
>
> The Rescue Co-ordination Centre New Zealand was
> alerted after
> eyewitnesses saw a ball of flames going down over
> the lake and heard an
> explosion.
>
> However, after helicopters and rescue boats searched
> the area and fire
> services talked to farmers with nearby properties
> the search was called
> off.
>
> "I saw it drop down, but couldn't see it hit the
> water for the trees,"
> Mrs Walters said. "It's one of those things - a
> mystery."
>
> No aircraft had been reported overdue and police had
> not received calls
> from anyone missing friends or family.
>
> Steve Calveley, president of the Auckland
> Astronomical Society, said it
> could have been a meteorite. "An awful lot get
> reported but few get
> found," he said. "It is pretty rare that someone can
> pinpoint where they
> land."
>
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>
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>



 
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Received on Tue 30 Jan 2007 03:22:22 PM PST