NJFFSA16
03-23-2004, 02:23 AM
Tells us your story about the fireball in the sky.........
Spectacular fireball over Prairies, Ontario likely a meteor, say
astronomers
By The Canadian Press
A spectacular fireball that blazed across Prairie skies and
parts of Ontario was probably a grapefruit-sized meteor,
astronomers said Monday.
"I hope someone caught it on video," said Scott Young with the
Manitoba Museum. "It was brighter than normal, which means it was
about the size of a grapefruit."
It was not a satellite, part of a rocket, or other human-made
space debris, confirmed Capt. Dave Muralt of 17 Wing at CFB Moose
Jaw, Sask. He checked Monday with NORAD in Colorado, which tracks
orbiting material returning to earth. Officials there told him it
wasn't theirs.
Chris Rutkowski, an unidentified flying object expert in
Winnipeg, said "a good chunk of Canada saw this thing."
He said there were reports Sunday of sightings from Edmonton to
Ottawa and into North Dakota.
Because so many people saw the fireball, chances are it was very
high up, said Rutkowski, who was speaking on behalf of Ufology
Research of Manitoba.
"I get the idea it was a bright . . . large fragmented meteor
that's starting to break up and leaving a large tail."
Rutkowski doubted that there was anything left to reach the
ground, but the possibility had astronomers excited.
It's rare, though, to find a meteor has reached the ground to
become what is then called a meteorite, said Martin Beech, an
astronomy professor at the University of Regina.
Most burn up in the atmosphere, briefly illuminated, and are
known to earthlings as shooting stars.
On Sunday, some people reported they felt a sonic boom, while
others reported a strange smell and felt vibrations when they saw
the fireball.
That means the meteor was probably low in the Earth's
atmosphere, possibly as low as five kilometres, said Richard
Huziak, president of the Saskatoon Centre of the Royal Astronomical
Society of Canada.
The smell, similar to ozone, resulted from the meteor ionizing
the oxygen in the lower atmosphere, he explained.
"If it's getting that far down, there's a good chance material
might have survived to land on the ground," Beech said.
Fireballs enter the atmosphere about 140 kilometres from Earth
and usually burn out about 70 kilometres away.
Despite the dramatic display, the show lasted only about four
seconds. But Ronalda and Ben Kleinsasser, who live on a farm near
Kerrobert, Sask., won't forget what they saw.
"I was watching TV when I saw this ball of fire dropping out of
the sky with a tail of flames," said Ben Kleinsasser. "I watched
it coming down until there it was, right in front of us.
"My hair went up on end and I had goosebumps. It was wild. And
it rumbled the floor pretty good because my daughter came running
upstairs asking if someone fell in the house."
Family members scoured the area for any sign of impact or
damage.
"I figured for sure it hit one of our barns or bins. That's how
close it seemed. I've never seen such a thing."
Sherlin Meier, who lives 22 kilometres east of Kerrobert, said
the sonic boom made her windows rattle and the walls shake.
If anyone along the meteor's path finds an odd rock, there are
tell-tale characteristics to look for, such as a shiny jet-black
surface and magnetic properties, Beech said.
"The recovery conditions right now are perfect. The ground is
still fairly hard and there's snow about, so these black rocks tend
to stand out like a sore thumb." (Winnipeg Free Press-Saskatoon
StarPhoenix)
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Spectacular fireball over Prairies, Ontario likely a meteor, say
astronomers
By The Canadian Press
A spectacular fireball that blazed across Prairie skies and
parts of Ontario was probably a grapefruit-sized meteor,
astronomers said Monday.
"I hope someone caught it on video," said Scott Young with the
Manitoba Museum. "It was brighter than normal, which means it was
about the size of a grapefruit."
It was not a satellite, part of a rocket, or other human-made
space debris, confirmed Capt. Dave Muralt of 17 Wing at CFB Moose
Jaw, Sask. He checked Monday with NORAD in Colorado, which tracks
orbiting material returning to earth. Officials there told him it
wasn't theirs.
Chris Rutkowski, an unidentified flying object expert in
Winnipeg, said "a good chunk of Canada saw this thing."
He said there were reports Sunday of sightings from Edmonton to
Ottawa and into North Dakota.
Because so many people saw the fireball, chances are it was very
high up, said Rutkowski, who was speaking on behalf of Ufology
Research of Manitoba.
"I get the idea it was a bright . . . large fragmented meteor
that's starting to break up and leaving a large tail."
Rutkowski doubted that there was anything left to reach the
ground, but the possibility had astronomers excited.
It's rare, though, to find a meteor has reached the ground to
become what is then called a meteorite, said Martin Beech, an
astronomy professor at the University of Regina.
Most burn up in the atmosphere, briefly illuminated, and are
known to earthlings as shooting stars.
On Sunday, some people reported they felt a sonic boom, while
others reported a strange smell and felt vibrations when they saw
the fireball.
That means the meteor was probably low in the Earth's
atmosphere, possibly as low as five kilometres, said Richard
Huziak, president of the Saskatoon Centre of the Royal Astronomical
Society of Canada.
The smell, similar to ozone, resulted from the meteor ionizing
the oxygen in the lower atmosphere, he explained.
"If it's getting that far down, there's a good chance material
might have survived to land on the ground," Beech said.
Fireballs enter the atmosphere about 140 kilometres from Earth
and usually burn out about 70 kilometres away.
Despite the dramatic display, the show lasted only about four
seconds. But Ronalda and Ben Kleinsasser, who live on a farm near
Kerrobert, Sask., won't forget what they saw.
"I was watching TV when I saw this ball of fire dropping out of
the sky with a tail of flames," said Ben Kleinsasser. "I watched
it coming down until there it was, right in front of us.
"My hair went up on end and I had goosebumps. It was wild. And
it rumbled the floor pretty good because my daughter came running
upstairs asking if someone fell in the house."
Family members scoured the area for any sign of impact or
damage.
"I figured for sure it hit one of our barns or bins. That's how
close it seemed. I've never seen such a thing."
Sherlin Meier, who lives 22 kilometres east of Kerrobert, said
the sonic boom made her windows rattle and the walls shake.
If anyone along the meteor's path finds an odd rock, there are
tell-tale characteristics to look for, such as a shiny jet-black
surface and magnetic properties, Beech said.
"The recovery conditions right now are perfect. The ground is
still fairly hard and there's snow about, so these black rocks tend
to stand out like a sore thumb." (Winnipeg Free Press-Saskatoon
StarPhoenix)
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)