[meteorite-list] Fireballs From The Sky: Bombarded

[rocks at projectargus.com]

It looks like we're on track to have one meteorite per month:

Oct. Sudan (2008 TC3)
Nov. Buzzard Coulee
Dec. Tamdakht
Jan. Denmark
Feb. West
Mar. Augusta, GA?

One per month is a great fall rate, and I hope they keep coming!  Still, I 
don't think this activity is high enough to support your theory of a debris 
cloud.  Notice that the 5 most recent confirmed falls have been 5 different 
types: Sudan is ureilite, Buzzard Coulee is H4, Tamdakht is H5, Denmark is a 
carbonaceous chondrite, and West is L6.  How would your theory support such 
a variety of incoming material?

My theory: more fireballs and meteorites are getting reported, but that 
doesn't necessarily mean more fireballs and meteorites are occuring.  I'd 
like to make 4 points:

1.  Each year, the Earth's population increases.
2.  More people are learning about what meteorites are, thanks to mainstream 
TV shows on the History Channel, etc.
3.  More people are learning that meteorites are worth big $$$, thanks to 
news coverage.
4.  Each year, more and more people are getting connected to the internet.

Put all of this together, and you have: more people + more awareness + more 
motivation + a global way to get news out.  Personally, I think this 
explains the higher number of fireballs and witnessed falls getting reported 
each year.

I'd like to know what others think about this.

I'd also say that over the past year or two, the meteorite collecting 
community has become much more focused on witnessed falls and hammers.  This 
means we're not letting any suspected falls get overlooked.  If this Georgia 
fireball had happened a few years ago, would it have gotten this much 
attention on the list?

All the best-
--Noah


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Meteorites USA" <eric at meteoritesusa.com>
To: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Monday, March 30, 2009 11:22 AM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Fireballs From The Sky: Bombarded


> Over the past few months or so I've been tracking many fireball sightings 
> and suspected new falls all over the world. Recently we've had no fewer 
> than 4 right here in the United States. Not to mention the Denmark fall, 
> Tamdaught, West, Westchester, Augusta, Sacramento, and the Merced 
> Fireball. And the largest meteorite fall in Canadian history Buzzard 
> Coulee! I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
>
> Now another big event near MD, VA area: 
> http://www.wtop.com/?nid=600&sid=1636442 
> <http://www.wtop.com/?nid=600&sid=1636442>
>
> I asked this a week or so ago, but got very little response other than 
> "yeah sure".
>
> Isn't this abnormally high meteor activity? Is our planet traveling 
> through a large field of asteroidal space debris right now? How can some 
> many fireballs and meteorite falls happen in such a short period of time 
> unless this were the case?
>
> Regards,
> Eric Wichman
> Meteorites USA
>
>
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