[meteorite-list] Fireball seen over Calgary

From: Mike Groetz <mpg444_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2009 05:49:57 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <971411.50381.qm_at_web33004.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1144834

Fireball seen over Calgary
Canwest News Service
Published: Monday, January 05, 2009


CALGARY -- A fireball reportedly lit up the early morning sky south of Calgary early Monday.

The Canadian Fireball Reporting Centre received about a dozen reports of a meteorite falling to earth at about 5:45 a.m. but the hazy conditions have made it difficult to verify.

"I don't know how anyone saw it. There were a lot of clouds up there," said the University of Calgary's meteorite expert, Alan Hildebrand. "But it's possible there was a hole in the clouds that allowed them to see it. It's happened before."

It could've been a meteorite or possibly falling debris from a meteor shower, said Hildebrand.

"I haven't spoken to any witnesses myself yet," he said. "I'm not even sure exactly where it was."

On Nov. 20, a bright flash lit up the sky, visible from Alberta to Manitoba.

So far, researchers have found more than 100 pieces of that meteorite, strewn over a 21-square-kilometre area of Saskatchewan just east of the Alberta border. Scientists were able to narrow down an impact zone because the trajectory of the fireball was caught on multiple security cameras. Hildebrand has estimated that over 10,000 pieces may have fallen to the ground that night.

Hildebrand said that Canadian Fireball Reporting Centre receives about 70 reports of sightings each year.

Calgary Herald


Canwest News Service
Published: Monday, January 05, 2009


CALGARY -- A fireball reportedly lit up the early morning sky south of Calgary early Monday.

The Canadian Fireball Reporting Centre received about a dozen reports of a meteorite falling to earth at about 5:45 a.m. but the hazy conditions have made it difficult to verify.

"I don't know how anyone saw it. There were a lot of clouds up there," said the University of Calgary's meteorite expert, Alan Hildebrand. "But it's possible there was a hole in the clouds that allowed them to see it. It's happened before."

It could've been a meteorite or possibly falling debris from a meteor shower, said Hildebrand.

"I haven't spoken to any witnesses myself yet," he said. "I'm not even sure exactly where it was."

On Nov. 20, a bright flash lit up the sky, visible from Alberta to Manitoba.

So far, researchers have found more than 100 pieces of that meteorite, strewn over a 21-square-kilometre area of Saskatchewan just east of the Alberta border. Scientists were able to narrow down an impact zone because the trajectory of the fireball was caught on multiple security cameras. Hildebrand has estimated that over 10,000 pieces may have fallen to the ground that night.

Hildebrand said that Canadian Fireball Reporting Centre receives about 70 reports of sightings each year.

Calgary Herald




      
Received on Tue 06 Jan 2009 08:49:57 AM PST