[meteorite-list] Arizona Meteor Not Part of Geminid Meteor Shower

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2013 11:24:18 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <201312121924.rBCJOIbQ020964_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://nvonews.com/2013/12/12/arizona-meteorite-not-part-of-geminid-meteor-shower-2013-peak-time-in-usa/

Arizona meteorite not part of Geminid meteor shower 2013
NVO News/Denver Post
December 12, 2013

Now NASA has said that Arizona meteorite was not part of Geminid meteor
shower 2013. Its peak time in USA will be Friday morning. But reports
suggest that very bright moon may impede the sighting of these falling
"stars" in the days to come. Meteor showers are best watched under rather
dark nights when moon is either not out or when it is not very bright.

Meanwhile Gemind meteor showers are going to be visible in most of the
US tomorrow night and I am sure millions and millions of people will work
hard to get the best glimpse of these shooting stars. Geminid meteor shower
is still picking up heat and still to reach their peak. So, when a boom
resounded over Tuscon, Arizona, people were shocked out of their dinner
to rush out and witness the enormous and bright fireball that whizzed
through the sky.

The exploding meteor sent roofs and windows rattling in Arizona. NASA
spruced up to investigate and so far it has deduced that the massive asteroid
that exploded over Tuscon was no stray part of the Geminid meteor shower,
but one of the parts of debris that often enters earth's atmosphere everyday.

NASA meteor expert Bill Cooke analyzed the flying space rock captured
by two of NASA cameras in Arizona. The meteor was travelling at 45,000
mph, so this was no Geminid. Cooke said, "A Geminid moves at 78,000 mph."
He further explained that the direction it came from was not typical for
a meteor from the big shower. Cooke did acknowledge that this was a big
meteor that weighed about 100 pounds and was 16 inches. The boom was also
heard by Tuscon resident astronomer Tod Lauer, who dismissed it as another
sonic boom. Lauer posted on his Facebook page, "We were eating dinner and
heard a good bang that rattled the roof of our house. I dismissed it as a
sonic boom." He realized what he had missed when he was contacted by a local
TV station. Lauer studies images from the Hubble Space Telescope, so the
media wanted his opinion on the boom and the fireball. Another resident,
Tony Kubrak, was also shaken up as his house was rattled by the boom and
as he rushed out, he saw the fireball. Kubrak said, "I see this tremendous,
white, bright light in the western sky. And it was just ...it was absolutely
enormous, I couldn't believe it."
Received on Thu 12 Dec 2013 02:24:18 PM PST