[meteorite-list] VideoAtlantans see a visitor from Mars

[John Teague]

Video from Tellus Museum skycam and interview at:

http://duluth.11alive.com/news/news/79929-atlantans-see-visitor-mars


CARTERSVILLE, Ga -- If you were awake at about 4:00am Sunday and you were outside looking up, you may have seen a bright meteor flash across the sky. It happens all the time but not from where the meteor came from.

The meteor was captured from a roof top camera on top of the Tellus Science Center in Cartersville. The fish-eye lens camera monitors the skies for NASA. Its part of a study NASA is doing on astronaut safety. They are studying the dangers debris in space poses to astronauts.

So why was this particular meteor more interesting than others? "It was very bright and fireballs that bright are somewhat unusual for us to see," said Tellus Astronomy Program Manager David Dundee.

What makes it even more spectacular is the trajectory of where it came from. Astronomers determined it came from Mars and lit up the sky over Atlanta, traveling from Duluth to just south of Jonesboro before it dissipated 21 miles above the earth's surface.

Dundee said it traveled 47 miles in a momentary flash of light. "Either the object came from debris near Mars, like from asteroids running into each other or something blasted off the surface of Mars," he said.

Dundee said it's not unusual for meteors to flash across the skies of Atlanta. He said Tellus' camera sees about six to eight every night. What's different about Sunday's meteor is its brightness and where it came from. Usually meteors come from the asteroid belt.

As bright as it was, Dundee said the meteor was only about an inch across. "And you say an inch across? Why is it so bright? Well, it entered the atmosphere going over 52 thousand miles per hour," Dundee said.

A piece of debris from Mars flew over Atlanta for all of us to see and study.