[meteorite-list] "The high-pitched scream"?

From: Jeff Kuyken <info_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Jan 2008 12:45:13 +1100
Message-ID: <001901c85585$f22966b0$4001a8c0_at_mandin4f89ypwu>

Hi Mark,

It would seem that it is possible but not in the ordinary sense. This could
only happen when Electrophonic Sound was produced from the incoming object.
It only occurs with large meteors but I'm thinking your scenario would be
BIG enough! ;-)

Electrophonic sounds are defined as sounds produced by direct conversion of
electromagnetic radiation into audible sound.

This is done through extremely complex mechanisms, some of which are still
debated as the theory of electronic sound is relatively new in the last
couple of decades. Basically, the sounds will be heard concurrently with the
meteor as the very low frequency radiation travels at the speed of light.
It's thought that this energy is so intense that it causes objects on the
ground to vibrate which is the sound you hear... not necessarily the
'meteor' itself.

Cheers,

Jeff


----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Crawford
To: Meteorite List
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 2:34 AM
Subject: [meteorite-list] "The high-pitched scream"?


Hi folks,

On another forum someone posted about a recent TV programme he'd watched
about NEOs. At the end the guest astronomer said something to the
effect that "the first we know about an incoming impactor could be the
high-pitched scream as it speeds through the atmosphere."

It got me wondering; a sizeable body would be travelling at cosmic (ie
very supersonic) velocity right through to impact, and therefore the
"scream" should trail behind the object - in other words, we wouldn't
even get that much warning.

Was the speaker using poetic license or would there be any kind of
fore-shock?

Mark

--
Mark's Meteorite Pages: http://meteorites.cc
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Received on Sat 12 Jan 2008 08:45:13 PM PST