[meteorite-list] New Zealand Meteor

From: Mike Groetz <mpg4444_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2012 11:30:04 -0400
Message-ID: <CABK572A1LQRN_g0EUUd83oUey2TCua3tbvxE5M8sHYvs6SuR_g_at_mail.gmail.com>

Please note there are also some very good YouTube videos of ?the trail
this left behind.
Everyone have a good day.
Mike
p.s. Maybe Dean Bessey is out searching his back yard right now....!



Tonight's meteor shot across the sky at 20,000kph


http://www.3news.co.nz/Tonights-meteor-shot-across-the-sky-at-20000kph/tabid/423/articleID/249046/Default.aspx


By Laura Frykberg

Experts believe the flaming ball that lit up the night skies from
Wellington to Christchurch tonight was a meteor.

But while it was an impressive sight, they say it's far from a rare event.

It?s a sight so fleeting it's hard to believe anyone captured it on camera.

See photos from tonight's meteor

Wellington man Mark Payne wasn't quite quick enough with his lens, but
seeing it soar above him is an image he'll never forget.

?All of a sudden a bright green-bluey ball of fire emerged out of the
sky and within two or three seconds it disappeared,? says Mr Payne.

At a speed of around 20,000kph, experts say the meteor took around 10
to 15 seconds to travel southwest from the Wellington region to
Canterbury.

That is where Matt Hall at the Mt John Observatory, saw its journey end.

?As it dropped, just before it dropped over our horizon, we saw it
blow itself apart and explode up in the sky,? says Mr Hall.

Meteors are a piece of broken rock or ice entering the Earth's
atmosphere. Hall says most are pea-sized, but believes this meteor was
more like the size of a baseball.

The Carter Observatory's John Field says even when they're larger,
they normally break up at around 100 to 300km up, meaning the chances
of any damage are slim.

?If they break up, you get a small shower of stones,? says Mr Field.
?It would be like someone throwing pebbles onto the roof of your house
? it would be very noisy but wouldn't do you any damage.?

Mr Field says meteors are sighted at least once a day and it's just
luck if you're in the right place at the right time.

Mark Payne is just happy he had luck on his side.
Received on Mon 02 Apr 2012 11:30:04 AM PDT