Image of Vectors by Charles Viau
(click on image for larger view)
Latest Update 25JAN09:
Vectors Plotted:
By searching the net for observers of this fall, and plotting 16 relative vectors using only 8 cardinal headings (N,NE,E,SE...) from where they were to where they saw this bolide, it points to an area of interest centered around Foxboro, MA in a 10 mile radius. Interesting but that is a very large area. This thing was huge and probably dropped some rocks. Biggest one ever seen around for sure. Perhaps someone has a video from a security cam that may provide better info.
Source: Charles Viau, Braintree, MA
Comment on Meteor Trajectory by Chris Peterson, Colorado, USA 27JAN09
The sightings in this case are unusual because they are so close to the apparent event. As a rule, people don't see overhead meteors, so witness reports tend to be richest 100 miles or more away, where you see the meteor near the horizon (especially at times of the day, as in this case, where most reports come from people in cars).I don't know what the New England weather conditions were like at the time; perhaps conditions outside the immediate area were not good for seeing into Massachusetts. The reports suggest it was cloudy.In any case, this pattern would suggest a fairly steep descent (which itself makes it much less likely that any meteorites survived). Shallow descents cover a lot of ground, so they are usually seen over wider areas- sometimes over paths many hundreds of miles long. Steep descents are associated with a rapid increase in pressure and an earlier breakup of the parent, making it more likely that the debris will burn up completely. The best scenario for meteorite production is a low velocity (most likely to be seen in the early evening), and a relatively shallow entry angle. That gives the meteoroid lots of time to slow down without breaking into small pieces while the speed is still very high.
Chris L Peterson
Cloudbait Observatoryhttp://www.cloudbait.com
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FIREBALL SIGHTING: Observers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island are reporting a "huge, pulsating blue-green fireball" sighted within minutes of 8:48 pm EST on Jan. 23rd. It was bright enough to be seen through heavy cloud cover, according to one witness.
Source: Robert Woolard, USA
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MASS. PIKE FIREBALL: Last night a meteoroid of unknown size hit Earth's atmosphere over New England. Its bright, blue-green disintegration startled motorists driving along the Massachusetts Turnpike and surrounding areas: eye-witness accounts.
Eyewitness Accounts:
Location: near Auburn Massachusetts
Comments: James Vasalofsky: "I saw the fireball on 1/23/09 around 8:48pm. It was blue-ish green when it first appeared, then it was a bright light that lasted about 2 seconds. I was on the Mass Pike heading East near Auburn and it was off to the right in the direction of the South. It was an amazing sight! I've seen meteor showers before but this seemed really close. I assume it was a meteor."
Location: Foxboro, Massachusetts
Comments: Robert Russell: "I was driving home with my family at about 9pm on Friday, Jan 23rd, and we saw what looked to be a huge fireball coming straight down from the black sky. All four of us saw the same thing and were all shocked. It was much bigger than a typical shooting star and was certainly going straight down as opposed to shooting horizontally across the sky. It had blue and green colors in it too. It appeared to have landed or struck down just north of Rt 495 and just east of Rt 95 somewhere in Foxboro or Mansfield."
Location: Lexington, Massachusetts
Comments: Mark A. Abel: "On January 23 at 8:48PM EST I was traveling on I-95 South bound in the Lexington area near the Hanscom Airfield when I saw the bluish-green fireball out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought I may had caught a glimpse of an airplane landing flood light since I was in the Hanscom Airfield area but then it emerged from behind the low level clouds again and I could see that it indeed was a brilliant fireball."
Location: Wakefield, Rhode Island
Comments: Donna & Randy Swanson: "We observed a huge pulsing blue green fireball through the clouds tonight @ 8:48 PM dropping past the horizon, due NE into the Atlantic ocean towards Cape Cod. Bright enough to be seen through heavy cloud cover!"
Location: Agawam, Mass.
Comments: John B Byerly: "At 8:50 pm from Agawam Massachusetts looking easterly I saw a blue green fire ball through a pretty thick cloud cover. It lasted maybe a second with a significant tail. I am a total amateur but It looks similar to the video that was posted a couple of days ago."
Location: North Windham, Connecticut
Comments: Paulette Harwood: "My husband and I observed the fireball while heading southeast on Rt. 6 in North Windham, CT. It was quite large and had a green glow."
Location: MassPike between exits 11 and 11A
Comments: E. Szymczak: "I was driving east on the MassPike and at a few minutes before 9 between exits 11 and 11A and saw a huge green fireball that appeared to come from the north fairly close to the horizon. It was spectacular!"
Location: Warwick, Rhode Island
Comments: Joe Malachowski: "My son and I saw the fireball at 8:48pm on 1.23.09 in Warwick, Rhode Island. It was blue-green and lasted approximately 3 seconds - ended without a flash. This was the brightest meteor I've seen in my 46 years, brighter even than the one I saw at the Grand Canyon 2 years ago."
Location: Little Compton, Rhode Island
Comments: Anthony Russi: "I was sitting in my den and through my window I saw a dazzling fireball drop from the night sky. I live in little Compton, Rhode Island on the Sakonnet River, the object was east of me. It came straight down and looked like huge flare. Sometime around 8:30."
Location: Connecticut
Comments: Briana: "At approx. 8:45pm, our family was driving north on route 395 between route 97 & 169 in CT. My husband said, 'Look, Look, Look!!' And there, straight ahead, was a very bright object heading for the ground. For me it was gone quickly, but my husband said he saw it above the clouds, then it disappeared for a moment behind some clouds, then he saw it again below the clouds. Because of this we both think it had to have hit the ground. Most likely someplace in NE CT, possibly between Danielson and Thompson. It was very cool, but I hope no one was hurt."
10 comments:
I saw this green mass shooting thrrough the might sky while driving east from Western Massacusetts on the Mass pike, at 8:48. That was so cool!
Great!. Please give info on where you were on the pike and the cardinal direction from that point where you spotted the bolide. I can add it to the vector list. We are trying to refine it.
At about 8:49pm on Friday, Jan. 23rd I called my girlfriend to make sure a nuke hadn't dropped on Boston. I was headed East on the Mass Pike going to visit her when minutes before I saw the huge green fireball streak through the sky. It was just before I crossed the Westborough town line sign on I-90, saw it fall from about my 12 o'clock towards 1:30-2 o'clock. Not sure what exactly my direction was at the time (E-NE) but you could cross reference where the town line is and the direction of I-90.
I saw it as well.....was huge blue green light, enormous....i was heading to boston on Mass pike @ 8:45 ish.........Unreal how big it seemed & it was behind cloud cover & still so bright......Glad others saw it too.....
Sunday Feb 8, 2009 Approx 6:45PM Portsmouth, RI
Driving North on Rt. 138, I saw a bright white light in the sky like a large planet/star, but bigger. It fell vertically straight down out of my view. I don't know what it was. At first I thought it was a falling star/comet, but it fell straight vertically downward quickly in a few seconds. There was no tail. I didn't hear a crash, but I don't know the actual distance & location. But usually "shooting stars" comets, meteors--don't they usually fall in a slightly curved, arc type of motion? This thing dropped straight vertically downward like a ball falling to the ground.
I continued North toward the direction, to Route 24 and saw nothing unusual...
Just a slow moving aircraft with white lights, (but too far to identify what it was) in the sky travelling North parallel to Rt. 24. I was on Rt. 24 and turned around. The aircraft slowly moved until it was out of my viewpoint, near Common Fence Point.
I drove thru Common Fence Point, but saw nothing. I think The aircraft was probably a helicoptor, (moving slow?)
However, the original White Light I saw dropping quickly from the sky was unusual. Unlike anything I've seen in the sky before.
Did anyone else see it? Does anyone know what it was?
on august i,2009,saw large green object with tail over westwood,massachusetts around 8;45
I saw something the same thing around the same time close to dusk(sorry not sure exactly when out on 4-wheelers) in Ashburnham, MA. It looked like it was right under the moon from where we were.
Me and my wife saw a large green blue shooting star while traveling from Seekonk Mass., back to Connecticut on I 95, in the vicinity of Warwick on August 1, around 8-8:30 approximately. It was a magnificent view, like none we have either seen before.
Foxboro Ma 5:45 pm EST I saw a large fireball, like a flare make a slow decent towards an impact which appeared to be in the vicinity of Wrentham, MA.
I'm 48 and have never seen such a site. Awesome!
Thanks
Chef Rose
Found several small pieces of pallasite in the Foxboro area on a recent search. Nice crust with a large olivine content.
Rick T. Cape Cod, MA
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