[meteorite-list] Northern Europe Marvels at Mysterious Blue Light

From: Mike Groetz <mpg444_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2009 05:47:51 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <937276.1453.qm_at_web33001.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

   There is an interesting sequence of photos within this article. Also- there is mention of the "bang" which was absent from many other articles.
Mike

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,602026,00.html

Northern Europe Marvels at Mysterious Blue Light
First there was a bluish glow, then a bang and a shockwave. Residents across northern Europe marvelled at the mysterious phenomenon, which is believed to have been a meteorite crashing into the Baltic Sea off the coast of northern Germany over the weekend.

A mysterious bluish-green flash of light followed by a loud bang alarmed residents across northern Germany, Denmark and southern Sweden on Saturday night and prompted dozens of people to call the police.

"There was a dull thunder and I felt pressure in my chest," said one eyewitness in the northern German city of Rostock.


PHOTO GALLERY: MYSTERIOUS BLUE LIGHT SEEN IN NORTHERN EUROPE
   Click on a picture to launch the image gallery (4 Photos)

Authorities made checks and quickly ruled out the possibility the fireball had been a plane crash. A spokesman for the German Aerospace Center said: "It was probably a meteorite. That at least would explain the shockwave and the bang."

A meteorologist for the Meteomedia weather service on the Baltic German island of Hiddensee said: "That definitely wasn't a weather phenomenon, it was something astronomical."

Experts said the meteorite probably fell into the Baltic Sea not far from the port city of Rostock.

cro -- with wire reports



      
Received on Mon 19 Jan 2009 08:47:51 AM PST