[meteorite-list] Park Forest timing

From: Chauncey Walden <clwaldeniii_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:10:18 -0600
Message-ID: <47EAE5EA.5030706_at_comcast.net>

Bernd wrote:

> "He was not yet asleep when he experienced the bright light illuminating his
> bedroom and the tremendous explosions that followed. A *couple minutes* later
> he heard a disturbance outside, he said it sounded like something hit his house."
>
> In view of the tremendous fireball and the accompanying sound phenomena
> witnessed by various people here in Europe (especially Switzerland, Southern
> Germany and Eastern France) ... was it really "a couple minutes later" or was
> it "a couple seconds later"?

I would think it would be longer than that. If we have retardation at
100,000 feet, the sound would take about 90 seconds to reach the ground
and the meteorites at a terminal velocity of, say, 200 mph, would take 5
minutes, so the difference might be on the order of 3.5 minutes. I'm
sure someone will chime in with more exact figures.
Received on Wed 26 Mar 2008 08:10:18 PM PDT