[meteorite-list] NASA Issues Ohio Meteorite Alert

From: Steve Dunklee <steve.dunklee_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:42:09 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <1313703729.59911.YahooMailClassic_at_web113919.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>

I saw this fall at 2:22 central time which is 1:22 yankee time. I saw it out my west window and from my position. it must have fallen to the northwest of me in Missouri not Ohio. The angle it came down at I figured it should have been seen from Canada across ohio, Indianna, missouri Arkansas and Oklahoma. I know list members can check radar to narrow it down. The sonic boom sensors in north america should also be able to narrow down the fall location. From the time it fell and the direction it would have followed a paribolic path not a straight line. The report given assumes a straight line of travel. From my location of Salem Arkansas. using google maps the meteor went over the horizon in the direction Of Branson Missouri. or further north. at an angle about 45 degrees perpendicular to the horizon. with a parabolic entry it would have appeared first over Canada traveling in an southeasternly direction. then as it fell lower appeared to be traveling
 directly south over ohio and indianna. still following its parbola toward the center of mass it would travel west over eastern Missouri and finally fall as I saw it traveling northwest over western Missouri or Oklahoma. to understand this easier. take an old cd rom disc. draw a line on an apple to represent canton ohio to branson. then cram the disc in the apple at an angle of 45 degrees. The outside edge of the cd is the meteorites path of entry as it is traveling so fast it will only fall out of its orbital path at the acceleration of gravity. from the time it first starts to glow from ablation till it cools is usually less than 30 seconds. its not going to make a right or left turn off its orbital plane which is represented by the cd disk. but it will be affected by 30 seconds more or less of gravity falling. Tracing the outside edge of the disk it appears to enter the ionisphere from the northwest. and stays on the edge of the cd disc till it hits
 the ground traveling in a northwesternly direction. with the exception of falling toward the center of mass by gravity. the meteorite cant leave its orbittal plane, because that would require a change in direction from its orbit , which is impossible.
Cheers
Steve Dunklee

--- On Thu, 8/18/11, dorifry <dorifry at embarqmail.com> wrote:

> From: dorifry <dorifry at embarqmail.com>
> Subject: [meteorite-list] NASA Issues Ohio Meteorite Alert
> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Date: Thursday, August 18, 2011, 3:56 PM
> http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/18/fireball-leads-to-midwest-meteorite-alert-nasa-warns/
>
>
>
> Fireball Leads to Midwest Meteorite Alert, NASA Warns
>
>
>
> Ohio residents should be on the lookout for potential small
> meteorites that may have been created by a bright fireball
> that streaked over southern Ontario, Canada, last week, NASA
> said.
> The fireball was detected by all-sky cameras from the
> Southern Ontario Meteor Network at 1:22 a.m. EDT (0522 GMT)
> on Aug. 8.
> "It was picked up over Lake Erie and proceeded
> south-southeast over Ohio," said Bill Cooke, head of NASA's
> Meteoroid Environments Office at the Marshall Space Flight
> Center in Huntsville, Ala.
> The meteor was last tracked north of Gustavus, Ohio, and
> the potential impact zone for meteorite fragments is a
> region east of Cleveland, Cooke told SPACE.com.
> When would-be meteors are traveling through space, they are
> known as meteoroids to astronomers. When they enter Earth's
> atmosphere to create fireballs, they are called meteors.
> Only fragments that actually reach Earth's surface are
> called meteorites.
> "We look for ones that are moving low and slow, ones that
> penetrate deep into the atmosphere," Cooke said. "Normally
> meteors burn up 40 to 50 miles (about 65 to 80 kilometers)
> over your head. This one got down to 38 km (24 miles) before
> we lost track of it, and we know it went lower."
> When a meteor penetrates low into the atmosphere and moves
> relatively slow, it can create meteorites that fall to the
> ground, Cooke explained. The fireball seen last week slowed
> to approximately 25,200 mph (40,555 kph).
> And while skywatchers around the world enjoyed spectacular
> views of the annual Perseid meteor shower last week, Cooke
> clarified that this fireball is definitely not a Perseid
> because it is moving too slowly.
> Based on the fireball's brightness and radar observations,
> the meteor's mass is estimated to be in the range of 22
> pounds (10 kilograms). This means that meteorite fragments
> will likely be pretty small, Cooke said.
> "Something the size of your thumbnail, maybe a bit bigger,"
> he said, estimating that any rocks found would probably be
> about three ounces (roughly 100 grams) and measure about one
> to two inches (2.5 to 5 cm) across.
> For meteorite hunters in the area, or for anyone who
> fortuitously stumbles across any pieces of space rock, Cooke
> wants to know about it, and people are encouraged to contact
> NASA's Meteoroid Environments Office if they find any
> fragments.
> But, the meteorite expert cautions that there are strict
> rules governing the ownership of space rocks that fall from
> the sky.
> "One thing you need to know is that meteorites belong to
> the property holder, the owner of the property on which they
> land," he said. "So, if you're looking for them on someone's
> property, be sure you talk to them and get their permission
> first. If you're looking for meteorites, respect the wishes
> and rights of all property owners."
> *???Fallen Stars: A Gallery of Famous
> Meteorites
> *???Spectacular Perseid Meteor Shower
> Photos of 201L1
> *???Top 10 Perseid Meteor Shower Facts
> Copyright ? 2011 Space.com. All Rights Reserved. This
> material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
> redistributed.
>
>
> Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/18/fireball-leads-to-midwest-meteorite-alert-nasa-warns/#ixzz1VOdoAAA7
>
>
> Phil Whitmer
> Joshua Tree Earth & Space Museum
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Received on Thu 18 Aug 2011 05:42:09 PM PDT