[meteorite-list] fireball over midwest

[Chris Peterson]

Note that my estimates were very speculative, based on limited reports. 
An experienced observer in Champaign reported it to his west following 
an approximately 45° angle of descent. So it doesn't sound like this was 
very shallow.

I haven't read anything (yet) to suggest that any of the more southern 
witnesses saw the meteor near them. It is not unusual to see a meteor 
150 miles away; in the absence of other evidence, my thinking is that 
the object was fairly low at Beardstown, didn't travel much farther 
south, and the witnesses to the south were simply seeing it far to their 
north. The speed and duration suggest a ground path perhaps 100 miles 
long. More reports would be good.

Following the Russian rocket body decay over Colorado last month, Fox 
news called it a "Quadrantid meteor shower from an extinct 
constellation".

Chris

*****************************************
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatory
http://www.cloudbait.com


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Sterling K. Webb" <sterling_k_webb at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Chris Peterson" <clp at alumni.caltech.edu>; 
<meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 11:45 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] fireball over midwest


> Hi,
>
>    The original report Ron posted covers the
> region from 25-30 miles north of St. Louis to
> as far south as Cape Girardeau, a stretch of
> perhaps 130 miles or more.
>    From Beardstown to Cape Girardeau is
> more like 200 miles. If it was at 15-20 miles
> altitude at Beardstown, this would be a very
> shallow trajectory.
>    Always possible (if this is true) that it was
> the extended progressive breakup of a larger
> object.
>    A shallow trajectory, of course, is more
> likely to drop an intact meteoroid and elevate its
> status to meteorite.
>    As for the northerly direction of travel, please
> note that it is Fox News, who have most things
> backwards...
>    Below is another news report.
>
> Sterling K. Webb