[meteorite-list] Addendum on UK fireball

From: Rob Matson <mojave_meteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2012 14:15:06 -0700
Message-ID: <GOEDJOCBMMEHLEFDHGMMMEOBEPAA.mojave_meteorites_at_cox.net>

Also -- the video from Dalbeattie, UK, showing the bolide fairly low
on the horizon moving left to right and nearly parallel to the horizon
confirms the shallow entry angle, the east-to-west motion, and suggests
that the ground track was much closer to Manchester & Liverpool than it
was to Dalbeattie. I believe the bolide traveled over the southern tip
of the Isle of Man, with perhaps a 10-15 degree northern component to the
trajectory (i.e. ESE to WNW toward bearing 280-285 deg) and ended up
somewhere south of Belfast. I'll keep pouring over the witness reports
to see if I can firm that up any. --Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: Rob Matson [mailto:mojave_meteorites at cox.net]
Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2012 1:59 PM
To: Martin Goff; Alexander Seidel
Cc: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com; ROBERT.D.MATSON at saic.com
Subject: RE: [meteorite-list] Large UK fireball!


It would help to know the orientation of his camera. He mentions that
the camera points nearly to zenith, with a slight tilt westward
toward Belfast, but he doesn't mention which direction "down" points
to (north, south, east, west, etc.)

In any case, the very shallow entry angle of the bolide coupled with
the roughly east-to-west trajectory and the high elevation angle
from Bangor distinctly increases the probability that some if not
most of the meteoroid traversed the Irish Sea and made landfall in
Northern Ireland! If the bottom of the video faces south, then
the fall location would be somewhere southwest of Bangor. Given
that the ground track is known to have been north of Liverpool
and Manchester (going right-to-left as seen from those cities),
and observation from Newcastle would be very helpful in pinning
down the fall zone. --Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com]On Behalf Of Martin
Goff
Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2012 3:29 AM
To: Alexander Seidel
Cc: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com; ROBERT.D.MATSON at saic.com
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Large UK fireball!


Another video here

http://m.youtube.com/#/user/meteorlog?desktop_uri=%2Fuser%2Fmeteorlog&gl=GB

On 22/09/2012, Martin Goff <msgmeteorites at gmail.com> wrote:
> Thankyou Alex, I do feel blessed to have seen it from start to finish
> and from such a clear viewpoint as where I was, simply stunning :-)
> Would be even better to have a rock in the collection from an event
> such as this where you witnessed it yourself! However my hopes are low
> as I think the 'somewhere' is going to be in the sea :-( I really
> hope I am wrong though :-)
>
> Cheers
>
> Martin
>
> On 22/09/2012, Alexander Seidel <gsac at gmx.net> wrote:
>> Congrats, Martin, for being in the right place at the right time! Must
>> have
>> been a gorgeous sighting, just like winning the lottery. As Rob already
>> pointed out, seeing this going west it unlikely will or could have been a
>> decaying satellite, as almost all of those are heading eastwards somehow,
>> along with earth rotation direction, so what you saw was a spectacular
>> fireball most likely originating from "the real stuff" ....
>>
>> Did it drop something to Earth somewhere, and where is that "somewhere"?
>> :-)
>>
>> Alex
>> Berlin/Germany
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -------- Original-Nachricht --------
>>> Datum: Sat, 22 Sep 2012 01:09:30 +0100
>>> Von: Martin Goff <msgmeteorites at gmail.com>
>>> An: Michael Farmer <mike at meteoriteguy.com>
>>> CC: "meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com"
>>> <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>, "Matson, Robert D."
>>> <ROBERT.D.MATSON at saic.com>
>>> Betreff: Re: [meteorite-list] Large UK fireball!
>>
>>> Mike, It was absolutely stunning! Am just amazed that i saw it as i
>>> was on patrol in my vehicle. Right place, right time for once!
>>>
>>> Unfortunately it appears that it will have dropped anything into the sea
>>> :-(
>>>
>>> Fingers crossed for otherwise though, you never know :-)
>>>
>>> Am a very happy chappy :-)
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>>
>>> Martin
>>>
>>> On 22/09/2012, Michael Farmer <mike at meteoriteguy.com> wrote:
>>> > wow, that would have been incredible to see in person!
>>> >
>>> > Michael Farmer
>>> >
>>> > Sent from my iPad
>>> >
>>> > On Sep 21, 2012, at 4:54 PM, "Matson, Robert D."
>>> <ROBERT.D.MATSON at saic.com>
>>> > wrote:
>>> >
>>> >> Hi Martin,
>>> >>
>>> >> Given the east-to-west direction, space junk is extremely unlikely.
>>> >> (Very few manmade objects in such retrograde orbits.)
>>> >>
>>> >> Unfortunately, from your description it sounds like it most likely
>>> >> ended up going over Southport into the Irish Sea southeast of the
>>> >> Isle of Man. Your location is less than 60 km from the coast.
>>> >>
>>> >> --Rob
>>> >>
>>> >> -----Original Message-----
>>> >> From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
>>> >> [mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of
>>> Martin
>>> >> Goff
>>> >> Sent: Friday, September 21, 2012 4:44 PM
>>> >> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>>> >> Subject: [meteorite-list] Large UK fireball!
>>> >>
>>> >> Hi all,
>>> >>
>>> >> I have just been exceedingly fortunate to view a large fragmenting
>>> >> fireball over the UK. Absolutely amazing sight! Looked so similar to
>>> >> Peekskill with lots of fragmentation. Am unfortunately at work all
>>> night
>>> >> so unable to further research it but already there are numerous
>>> >> reports
>>> >> and sightings. A video of the event has been found here:
>>> >>
>>> >> (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df89jhMjLXY)
>>> >>
>>> >> Might be space junk? The fireball had a definite greenish tinge at
>>> >> the
>>> >> beginning.
>>> >>
>>> >> Going east to west. from the A627 in Chadderton, Oldham, Lancashire.
>>> >> Startpoint 25 degrees altitude, 90 degrees azimuth. Endpoint 20
>>> >> degrees
>>> >> altitude, 290 degrees azimuth. visible for 40 seconds at 22:55hrs
>>> >> 21/9/12. Went from green to orange to yellow with lots of
>>> fragmentation.
>>> >> Am still gobsmacked that i saw it!!!! Hopefully it will have dropped
>>> >> some meteorites and hopefully not into the sea!
>>> >>
>>> >> Anyway back to work now :-(
>>> >>
>>> >> Cheers
>>> >>
>>> >> Martin
>>> >> --
>>> >> Martin Goff
>>> >> www.msg-meteorites.co.uk
>>> >> IMCA #3387
>>> >> ______________________________________________
>>> >>
>>> >> Visit the Archives at
>>> >> http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
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>>> >
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Martin Goff
>>> www.msg-meteorites.co.uk
>>> IMCA #3387
>>> ______________________________________________
>>>
>>> Visit the Archives at
>>> http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
>>> Meteorite-list mailing list
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>>
>
>
> --
> Martin Goff
> www.msg-meteorites.co.uk
> IMCA #3387
>

-- 
Martin Goff
www.msg-meteorites.co.uk
IMCA #3387
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Received on Sat 22 Sep 2012 05:15:06 PM PDT