30 April 2009

Fireball Streaks Across Northwestern California 29APR09


Photo credit Yuba City Sentinel (c)2009
Fireball Over Northern California 29April09
Report by YC Sentinel
20090429_2342:56 PST (20090430_0643 UT)

Northwestern California. Should have been visible for good distances.
5.3 Seconds duration, at an apparent slow velocity.
Wide & Bright ablation.
Start Azimuth: 304 Degrees True North with Elevation of 36 Degrees.
End Azimuth: 322 Degrees True North at an Elevation of apprx. 5 Degrees.
This could be a meteorite dropping fireball. More observations or camera captures are necessary for trajectory to be estimated if it was on a steep angle downward.

Update:
What appeared to be a terminal explosion did not occur. Sentinel camera timed out on this slow fireball. Examination of Handyavi records shows this fireball continued a slow diminishing burn without a terminal detonation. Those avi. records will be added later to website: http://www.geocities.com/stange34@sbcglobal.net/YEAR2.html.

About three other small meteors were also recorded in the western portions of the Yuba City, CA sky at different times on 29APR09.

Photos & data about this event are on the website.
Click "latest" events. http://www.geocities.com/stange34@sbcglobal.net/YEAR2.html

Search Begins for Toronto Area, Southern Ontario, Newmarket, Ont. Meteorite 30APR09

Search on for Toronto-area meteorite bits
TORONTO, April 29 (UPI) -- Canadians living north and northeast of Toronto are being asked to help search for meteorite fragments from a fireball last month.
UPI - Apr 29 8:29 AM

Search on for Toronto-area meteorite bits
Canadians living north and northeast of Toronto are being asked to help search for meteorite fragments from a fireball last month.In a release, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the University of Western Ontario in London said analysis of a network of sky camera footage shows a slow-moving fireball swept eastward on March 15 at 8:37 p.m. near the small city of Newmarket.The museum is ...
Moldova.org - Apr 29 9:16 AM

Search on for Newmarket meteorite
Small meteorites may have been dropped on southern Ontario by a fireball that streaked through the sky north of Toronto last month.
Toronto Star - Apr 29 7:32 AM

Search on for meteorite that fell in Newmarket
Small meteorites may have been dropped on southern Ontario by a fireball that streaked through the sky north of Toronto.
Toronto Sun - Apr 29 8:37 AM

The meteorite hunt is on
Researchers anxious to recover possible fragments after fireball appeared in March over Newmarket, Ont.
The Globe and Mail - Apr 29 7:32 AM

Scientists on lookout for meteorites south of Lake Simcoe
Ontario scientists are looking for help in tracking down meteorite fragments they believe fell to Earth last month in an area just south of Lake Simcoe.
CBC.ca Ottawa - 1 hour, 18 minutes ago

INTERACTIVE MEDIA:
A chunk of space rock might have found it’s way into your back yard. The Royal Ontario Museum and University of Western Ontario are asking for your assistance in finding a meteorite that fell in the Newmarket area.
YorkRegion.com - Apr 29 7:49 AM

Is Your Backyard Housing Some Meteor Fragments?
If you’re in Newmarket, scientists want you to have a close look at the rocks around your home.
CityNews - Apr 29 10:09 AM

ROM, university wants you to look for meteorite pieces in your ...
Georgina Advocate - ‎5 hours ago‎
A chunk of space rock might have found it's way into your back yard. The Royal Ontario Museum and University of Western Ontario are asking for your ...

29 April 2009

Der Asteroid von Bahnstation 6 29APR09


Meteoriten © 2009 NASA / Peter Jenniskens
Der Asteroid von Bahnstation 6
(lifepr) Heidelberg, 28.04.2009 -
http://www.lifepr.de/pressemeldungen/spektrum-der-wissenschaft-verlagsgesellschaft-mbh/boxid-103016.html

In den Morgenstunden des 7. Oktobers 2008 trat der rund vier Meter große Asteroid 2008TC3 in die Erdatmosphäre ein. Bruchstücke stürzten in die nubische Wüste im nördlichen Sudan. Damit wurde er vom Asteroiden zum Meteoriten. Erstmals wurde ein Himmelskörper mit Kollisionskurs auf die Erde beobachtet und bis zu seinem Aufprall verfolgt. Wissenschaftler fanden zwei Monate später Bruchstücke von 2008TC3 nahe einer Eisenbahnlinie, welche die beiden nordsudanesischen Städte Wadi Halfa und Abu Hamad verbindet. Untersuchungen zeigten nun, dass die Gesteinsbrocken einzigartig sind.

2008TC3 gehört zu den so genannten Achondriten, einer seltenen Klasse von Steinmeteoriten, die nur rund acht Prozent aller Meteoriten ausmacht, die auf die Erde fallen. Innerhalb dieser Klasse gehört er wiederum einer Unterart an, von der bisher nur ein einziges Exemplar auf der Erde gefunden wurde. Wissenschaftler suchten nach dem möglichen Herkunftsort von 2008TC3 und fanden einen rund drei Kilometer großen, erdnahen Asteroiden der Klasse F. Noch nie wurden Bruchstücke dieser seltenen Art im Labor untersucht.

Almahata Sitta - Bahnstation 6 Im Dezember 2008 suchte der NASA-Astronom und Meteoritenexperte Peter Jenniskens mit 45 anderen Personen in der sudanesischen Wüste nach Überbleibsel des Meteoriten. Nahe der ägyptischen Grenze, bei der Bahnstation Nummer 6 der Eisenbahnlinie zwischen Wadi Halfa und Abu Hamad wurden sie fündig. Insgesamt sammelten sie rund vier Kilogramm Gestein. Der Meteorit trägt nun den Namen seines Fundgebietes. Almahata Sitta, arabisch für Bahnstation 6.

Chronologie der Ereignisse
Ein Programm zur automatischen Himmelsüberwachung entdeckte 2008TC3 am 6. Oktober 2008. Rund dreizehn Stunden vor dem Aufprall errechneten Wissenschaftler seine Bahn. Aufgrund der geringen Größe des Himmelskörpers, erwarteten Experten, dass er vollständig in der Erdatmosphäre verglühen würde. Wenn nicht, würde er um 4:45 Uhr MESZ im nördlichen Sudan niedergehen. Mit einer Geschwindigkeit von mehr als zwölf Kilometern pro Sekunde raste 2008TC3 durch die irdische Lufthülle, leuchtete hell auf und explodierte in einer Höhe von rund 37 Kilometern. Übrig blieb eine Staubspur, die von Satelliten und vom Erdboden aus fotografiert wurde. 2008TC3 wog zwischen sechzig und hundert Tonnen und setzte eine Energie von etwa einem Zehntel der Hiroshima-Bombe frei, wie die Fachzeitschrift Sterne und Weltraum in ihrer Mai-Ausgabe feststellt.

Über Sterne und Weltraum
"Sterne und Weltraum", die 1962 gegründete Zeitschrift für Astronomie, berichtet umfassend, anschaulich und informativ über alle Bereiche der Astronomie, der Weltraumforschung und der Amateurastronomie. Fachleute präsentieren allgemeinverständlich die aktuellen Ergebnisse ihrer astronomischen Forschung und beschreiben die Entwicklung neuartiger Instrumente, Observatorien und Messverfahren. Amateurastronomen geben Tipps zum Beobachten interessanter Himmelsobjekte und -phänomene, testen Teleskope und deren reichhaltiges Zubehör und geben dem Sternfreund fundierte Anleitungen zur eigenständigen Erkundung des Sternenhimmels, zur Astrofotografie sowie zum Auswerten ihrer Beobachtungen. Produkte für die Amateurastronomie werden ebenso vorgestellt wie die schönsten Fotos von Galaxien, Sternhaufen und farbenprächtigen Nebeln. Beiträge aus der Astronomiegeschichte und zu Fragen des naturwissenschaftlichen Weltbildes runden das Themenspektrum ab.

Quellenangabe: Sterne und Weltraum, 5/2009

28 April 2009

Flagstaff Fireball(s) 25,26APR09 Update 28APR09

'A ball with a big, long streak'
By LAURA CLYMER
Arizona Daily Sun
City Editor Tuesday, April 28, 2009

As he was driving north on Interstate 17 just beyond the Stoneman Lake exit around midnight Saturday, Richard Garcia saw a blazing fireball seemingly pass overhead in the same direction."She came right over the top of the truck," Garcia said Monday. "The colors were unbelievable. It was unbelievably beautiful. It was ball with a big long streak on it and then it had all these gorgeous colors just radiating out of it."

Not much more than an hour earlier, sometime after 10:30 p.m., Gloria Mireles was standing in the parking lot of the Western Hills motel on east Route 66 when she saw a fiery red fireball light up the eastern sky."It was giving out sparks from the tail," Mireles said Monday. She said she closed her eyes because she thought it was going to hit, but felt no impact. Turns out both Garcia and Mireles and countless others witnessed an unusual event to be sure -- two distinct objects blazed over Flagstaff late Saturday night.

Verifying the event in The Sun Blog, Jeff Hall of Lowell Observatory wrote, "I saw a bright fireball from Mars Hill at about 10:45 p.m. April 25 MST. It was heading NE over Mount Elden in the direction of Sunset Crater, had an extended brilliant glow, and was relatively slow moving."That, however, appears to have been only one of at least two fireballs, since my neighbor, who is doing search and rescue training, was out NE of Flagstaff sometime after midnight when what seems to be the main event cruised by."Saturday's fireballs have intrigued meteorite hunters and night sky watchers across the country.Now the question is whether any of the fragments survived impact.

Garcia is skeptical the fireball he saw made it to Earth."It was right over the top of road and I thought it was going to impact the road, so me and this other car that was next to me, we both slowed down because I think he was thinking that same thing I was, that it would probably hit the road," Garcia said. "But I didn't see anything disintegrate. It just appeared that it ran out of energy."Garcia estimated the fireball to be between 3 and 4 feet in diameter.

But Hall notes in his blog entry, "There's no way to know how big the thing is as it zooms by you ... So at this point, any descriptions of the object's size are speculative."Whether fragments survive depend on how the object enters the atmosphere, according to Hall, but he gives meteorite hunters hope, writing, "It is quite likely, at least, that many small pieces did end up reaching the ground ..."But where to look? It is difficult to pinpoint the actual trajectory of fireballs.

Brian Rackham was visiting a friend in Prescott Valley, and they both saw the fireball and were convinced it hit nearby."It was an amazing thing. Bright white and red fireball with greenish tail," Rackham wrote in an email to the Daily Sun. "We were watching TV, and it was so bright we couldn't help but look to the side out the window as it came down. The whole thing took about two seconds at the most."Rackham thought initially it was a plane or helicopter crash near the Prescott Airport.

Hall cautions in his blog, "Finally, remember that when you see one of these things, it's extremely difficult to gauge altitude or distance by eye. ... Claims of where (or if) an impact might have occurred should be viewed skeptically until fragments turn up.

"Saturday night's experience was a close encounter Garcia is unlikely to forget anytime soon."My parents just passed away in '05 and '06 and being a Catholic I decided to cross myself and thank my parents for sending a good sign," Garcia said.
http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2009/04/28/news/20090428_front_195338.txt

ON THE WEB Read Jeff Hall's blog entry: www.lowell.edu/users/jch/sss/blog/See an image of the fireball: www.heliotown.com/Fireball_April_26_2009_Ash.html

Dinosaurs Wiped Out by Asteroid? Maybe Not 28APR09

New Blow for Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Theory
PhysOrg.com
This artist's rendering shows the Chicxulub crater at the time of the meteorite's impact. Credit: NASA (PhysOrg.com) -- The enduringly popular theory that ...


Were the Dinosaurs Really Wiped Out by an Asteroid? Possibly Not (Update)
Universe Today - Apr 27
In 1979, the huge Chicxulub crater, measuring about 180 km (112 miles) in diameter, was discovered on the northern Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Scientists made the obvious conclusion that something rather large had hit the Earth in this location, probably causing all kinds of global devastation 65 million years ago. At around the same time, 65% ...

27 April 2009

Significant Fireball Near Gallup, New Mexico 26APR09


Gallup Fireball Photo by Thomas Ashcraft (c) 2009

Significant Fireball : April 26, 2009 0604 UT(4 minutes after midnight MDT)
by Thomas Ashcraft

There was a significant fireball last night in the vicinity of Gallup, New Mexico, possibly into eastern Arizona.

It was at the edge of my all-sky camera field of view but made a terminal flash possibly full Moon magnitude or brighter.

I hope to hear further reports. I posted some movies with two types of radio reception at the time of the meteor. One is 61.250 MHz forward scatter which produced a good radio reflection. The other movie is ELF/VLF reception. It is *not *conclusive but there is an interesting enhancement of noise at a mid-flare point of the meteor ( 3 seconds into the movie).

There does not appear to be any noise enhancement at the final large terminal burst however. Hence, this specimen fireball becomes another possible ELF/VLF reception but due to dense coincident sferics it is not absolutely provable.

I am still waiting for a big one directly overhead.
http://www.heliotown.com/Fireball_April_26_2009_Ash.html

Source: Thomas Ashcraft
Radio Fireball Observatory
http://www.heliotown.com/
New Mexico

26 April 2009

Haughton Impact Crater Yields New Fossil Species of "Walking Seal" 25APR2009

Walking Seal Called Missing Link in Evolution
Live Science: http://www.livescience.com/animals/090422-walking-seal.html
A fossil of a primitive "walking seal" with four legs and webbed feet has been found in the Canadian Arctic and dated to be at least 20 million years old. ...

Buzzard Coulee, Canada- Meteorite Hunters Return 25APR09

Meteor hunters return
Posted By Graham Mason
Meridian Booster, Lloydminster
24APR09
The search for space rocks continue in Buzzard Coulee at the landing site of the meteorite that flashed across the November sky.
“It turns out that meteorites are easier to find with the snow gone (the weather changed dramatically last week), and the Easter weekend has seen a surprising number of recoveries with dozens found by many different people,” said Dr. Alan Hildebrand with the University of Calgary who has a new meteorite search blog. “The stand out was the recovery on Good Friday of another (approximately) 10 kilogram stone.
“The total mass and total number probably advanced by something like 15 kilogram and 100 stones on the weekend, but exact totals will probably never be known.”
Some of the meteorites found were showing signs of rust from sitting out in the field.
Hildebrand has set up a heated base camp at the site, which includes water, electricity and wireless Internet for people who volunteer their time to help search.
“One of the most fun things about searching (aside from finding a meteorite oneself) is seeing ‘new’ people make their first meteorite find,” said Hildebrand. “(On Saturday) four different people who were volunteering in our search teams had that experience.
Hildebrand hopes to solve the mystery of how the meteorites broke up by finding pieces that fit together.
“Lots of other people have collected meteorites and taken them away, so we may have to organize a ‘Pairing Party’ in the summer or fall, so we can get as many broken pieces as we can together to look for ‘mates’,” said Hildebrand.
Local resident Terry Chaisson described his experience as a volunteer searcher on his blog.
“I eagerly signed up and surprisingly my wife also wanted to give it a try so on my Friday off, my wife and I traveled down to the Marsden area and spent the morning trudging though a farmer’s field looking at the ground for a rock that appears slightly out of place,” wrote Chaisson. “The method used is similar to CSI in that a line of searchers, separated by about four feet, walks back and forth looking straight down.”
Chaisson said some of the other volunteers traveled from as far away as Ontario.
Chaisson found a fragment of the meteorite on a morning when only one piece was found.
“The geologist verified that it was indeed authentic and was also a nice sized meteorite (estimated) to be over a hundred grams and worth over $3,000” said Chaisson. “Unfortunately, we did not get to keep the rock as all rocks found belong to the land owner and university as per some agreement between them.”
“My wife did not have the same enthusiasm so we called it a day at lunch time – just as the team was about to move to a more promising search location.”
Article ID# 1538939
http://www.meridianbooster.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1538939

40 Years Since the Sky Fell in Ulster, Eire 25APR09

40 years since the sky fell on Ulster
24APR09
Belfast Newsletter
That was the stark conclusion drawn by Ulster folk who witnessed an extraordinary happening over the skies of Northern Ireland 40 years ago today.

On 25 April 1969 the sky literally fell in on the Province and only a select few caught a glimpse of the out-of-this-world occurance.

Meteorite was spectacular - eyewitness
While many mistook the glowing fireball as a shooting star, it was actually a meteorite from outer space which left its mark on two separate locations. Solid pieces of rock fell from the sky and made an impact at a police barracks at Sprucefield and in a field near Garvagh. A piece of stone shattered through an asbestos roof at the then RUC facility on the Ravernet Road - now the base of the Historical Enquiries Team - landing on a desk in a storeroom. The second fragment, caused a huge dent in a field in Co Londonderry. It became known as the Bovedy meteorite due to the area where it landed.

Dr Mike Simms, from the Ulster Museum, is the proud owner of a cast of the Bovedy meteorite. The main mass of the rock is currently on display at Armagh Planetarium. The geologist confirmed the meteorite, which is a rare phenomenon, passed over the Province before landing in the Atlantic. "It (the meteorite) was seen as far south as Dorset in England before passing over north Wales," he said. "There were sightings from Aldergrove airport and people could see it going over and bits breaking off. It was last seen heading north over the tip of Inishowen and probably the main chunk fell in the drink somewhere north of Donegal." Dr Simms revealed that one Ulster woman, who was recording bird songs at the time of the object passing overhead, actually captured the associated sounds. "I've spoken to a lot of people over the years who actually heard it (the meteorite) or saw it. People heard a sonic boom sound – a bit like what Concorde used to make. "People who were outside would have actually seen the fireball come down because it wasn't just like your normal shooting star – it was something as bright as a full moon."

In a report published in the Nature Magazine in July 1969, Ian G. Meighan, from the department of Geology at Queen's University and Philip S. Doughty, from the Department of Natural Sciences at the Ulster Museum, gave a detailed account of the grounded fragments. On the Sprucefield rock, it recalled: "On the concrete floor, among fragments of the roof a stone object was found broken into two pieces. Weighing 283g and 230g. The meteorite resembles a angular block with a tapered base, has a complete brownish black fusion crust, but no "thumb marking" on the surface."

In relation to Bovedy, the report read: "On the following Monday at about 2pm a small impact crater, depth 14.5 inches, was discovered in a field used as open grazing, and a stone recovered. The specimen was broken open by local people and some small fragments carried away. When examined the following day no scorching of the grass or roots around and in the hole, and angle of fall was estimated between 30 and 50 degrees from the horizontal."

Dr Simms confirmed the meteorite stemmed from an asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. He believes a collision sent it off course and it happened to cross Earth's orbit "at the wrong time". The academic, who has developed a personal interest in the outer-space objects, admitted meteorite falls remain "pretty rare events". "One could land in your garden this afternoon, it is likely to do that as it would land in the Antarctic or wherever," he said. "This particular meteorite was the last to fall and actually be recovered in Northern Ireland although it is estimated three to four of a walnut size actually land in here every year. "There is a lot of vegetation to lose them in and once they have been on the ground for a while they just look like any other stone. "It is estimated there is one meteorite per square kilometre, per ten thousand years so they are not very common," he added.

The last recorded meteorite on the island of Ireland was reported in Co Carlow in 1999. Dr Simms is marking the 40th anniversary of the Sprucefield and Bovedy meteorites by hosting a series of talks next week to celebrate the event. The expert will be sharing his experiences in Bangor, Garvagh and Lisburn. Entry to the three seminars is free of charge.
Did you witness the 1969 meteorite?
Contact the News Letter on 3839 5580 or e-mail bryan.gray@newsletter.co.uk
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/40-years-since-the-sky.5203550.jp

21 April 2009

Waco, Texas Meteor 20APR09 21APR09

Something Streaked Through The Morning Sky Monday, But What Was It?
10 NEWS KBTX-TV
9 comments
WACO (April 20, 2009)--Residents from Waco to Madison County reported seeing a flaming object streaking through the western Central Texas sky Monday morning, but there is no confirmation yet what the object may have been.
One resident reported to KBTX-TV she saw the object above the Kroger store in College Station.
Another reported seeing it while driving on Wellborn Road in College Station.
A resident also saw it in Madison County.
Robinson ISD Special Education Director Kay Carter was driving from Houston to Waco Monday morning and was driving north on the loop just past University in College Station when she saw the fireball.
“It came into view at the top left of my windshield coming down at about a 45 degree angle. It was bright white with a tail behind it. It was about a fist to 1 ½ fists above the horizon and to the right of my windshield when it flashed out very suddenly,” she said in an e-mail to News 10.
“It probably lasted about a second. My first thought was a shooting star but much closer than usual. It was much larger than usual shooting stars,” she said.
In February, a bright fireball and a window-rattling explosion startled residents as a pickup-truck-size meteor plunged to Earth and shattered in a show that was visible from the West area in northern McLennan County all the way to Austin.
Pieces of the meteor have since been recovered in the West area.
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/43300387.html

Strange Fireball in the Texas Sky 20APR09 21APR09

Texas- Strange Fireball in the Sky
News 3
Posted: 8:46 AM Apr 20, 2009 Last Updated: 4:39 PM Apr 20, 2009
Reporter: Candice Vaughn, Mike George
42 comments
Calls and emails continue to come into News 3 about a mysterious "fireball" in the sky around 6:30 Monday Morning .
Witnesses to the flaming object have contacted us from across the Brazos Valley. All describe it falling in the Western Sky. One viewer said she saw it above the Kroger in College Station.
Another viewer said she saw it as she was driving on Wellborn Road in College Station.
We also received an email from another viewer who saw it in Madison County.
Another person driving from Houston to Waco says she saw it just above the horizon and says the flame only lasted a few seconds.
News 3 continues to call to find out what exactly the fireball was or was not.

Vancouver 17APR09 Mysterious "Boom" 21APR09

Scientist offers up another theory for Friday’s big bang
Monday, April 20 2:00 p.m.
BY ERIK ROBINSON
COLUMBIAN STAFF WRITER
A mysterious "boom" that resounded across Vancouver early Friday may have been an extraterrestrial wakeup call, theorizes a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Vancouver. "I can't think of any other explanation, other than a fairly substantial gravel quarry explosion," said Jeff Wynn, research geophysicist with the Cascades Volcano Observatory. Local gravel quarries reported no activity, especially at 6 a.m. ... MORE: http://columbian.com/article/20090420/NEWS02/704219992/-1/NEWS

Lyrid Meteor Shower Peak/Lunar Occultation of Venus 22APR09 21APR09

MORNING METEORS:
http://spaceweather.com
Earth is entering a stream of debris from Comet Thatcher, the source of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. Forecasters expect the shower to peak on Wednesday, April 22nd, with a display of 10 to 20 meteors per hour over the northern hemisphere. Occasionally, Earth passes through a dense region of the comet's tail and rates surge five- to ten-fold. In 1982, for instance, observers were surprised by an outburst of 90 Lyrids per hour. Because Thatcher's tail has never been mapped in detail, the outbursts are unpredictable and could happen again at any time. The best time to look, no matter where you live, is during the dark hours before dawn on Wednesday morning April 22nd.
Source:
Visit http://spaceweather.com for full coverage.

LUNAR OCCULTATION OF VENUS: Even if the Lyrids fizzle, there is still something wonderful to see on Wednesday morning, April 22nd. The crescent Moon and Venus are going to have a close encounter of jaw-dropping beauty. Look low and to the east just before sunrise. Observers in western parts of North America will see a lunar occultation: Venus will disappear behind the Moon's limb just after 5 am PDT and reappear again an hour or so later.
Details may be found in this Science@NASA story: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/17apr_lyrids.htm

18 April 2009

Wise County, VA Meteor 17APR09

Meteor creates fiery spectacle over Wise County
Kingsport Times-News Online
By Steve Igo
Published April 17th, 2009 2 Comments

WISE — A cosmic visitor created a brief spectacle over the pre-dawn Wise County skies Friday.
Most likely a meteor plummeting to earth in a blaze of glory, the fireball streaked down on an easterly arc roughly above U.S. Route 58 down toward what appeared to be a destination in the Tacoma area, at least from the perspective of White Oak Road atop the Tacoma Mountain Road ridgeline, looking south.
The fiery falling object was witnessed shortly before 6:30 a.m., or roughly a half-hour before sunrise. Daybreak motorists on U.S. 58...
(More): http://www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9013239

17 April 2009

Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News 17APR09

West Africa faces 'mega droughts'
AngolaPress
The evidence comes from Lake Bosumtwi in southern Ghana, a deep lake formed in a meteorite impact crater. Sediments laid down each year form neat, ...

Titanium reveals explosive origins of the solar system
New Scientist
The solar system emerged from a well-blended soup of dust and gas despite being cobbled together from the remains of multiple exploded stars, new meteorite ...

Titanium reveals explosive origin of solar system
Times of India

Keeping track of asteroids gets easier
EUROPA
The calculations of where the meteorite would touch ground were right on the money. The scientists had predicted the meteorite would impact the ground in ...

Long pattern of West Africa droughts could worsen with climate change
The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com
The wide, deep lake formed in the crater left by a meteorite that slammed the Earth a million years ago. The lake is an ideal place for climate research. ...

Clues for space-based chirality
Scientist Live
Over the last four years, a team of researchers carefully analysed samples of meteorites with an abundance of carbon, called carbonaceous chondrites. ...

Full Text (HTML)
Science Magazine (subscription)
The presence of isotope anomalies (1) of nucleosynthetic origin in meteorites is commonly interpreted as reflecting ...

DME grants prospecting rights to White Rivers Explorations
Creamer Media's Mining Weekly
The Vredefort Dome, which is about 120 km south-west of Johannesburg, is a representative part of a larger meteorite impact structure, and bears witness to ...

16 April 2009

India--Meteor/Meteorite News on YAHOO 2009

India--Meteor/Meteorite News on YAHOO JAN-15APR2009

PLANETARY SOCIETY, INDIA: March 2009
Meteorite no. 4 (14 g), placed on aluminium foil, shows the dark interior of a ... with Mr.Srinivas Laxman Times of India about Asteroid called Asteroid 2009 BD81. ...planetarysocietyindia.blogspot.com/2009_

Meteorite shower in Gujarat - India - The Times of India
The meteorite shower evoked mixed reactions of surprise and panic from villagers ... Copyright © 2009 Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. ...timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1838636.cms -

Shiva: Another K-T impact?
Titan's Topsy-Turvy Topography (Apr 07, 2009) ... the geologic activity in India is best explained by a massive meteorite impact. ...astrobio.net/news/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&...


India: Meteorite hits Akhnoor
Most comprehensive coverage and up-to-the-minute news, breaking news, feature stories, videos, information on ... THURSDAY, APRIL 09, 2009 CE. NAVIGATION ...www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?Date=2_2_2009&ItemID=29&cat=21


Meteorite Injures 20 in India Universe Today
... homes were destroyed when a meteorite crashed into a village in eastern India. Several reports say that a fireball ... IYA 2009 (19) IYA Live Telescope Library ...www.universetoday.com/2003/09/29/meteorite-injures-20-in-india

Twilight of the Gods News DEC 2009
... for the second half of the century, India was decimated by two meteorite ... lead India may have had over other countries after the meteorite strike seems ...home.comcast.net/~pradams6/PS_Twilight_News_Dec09.htm

India eNews - Three killed in Rajasthan after mysterious blast
... matter while villagers suspected it was the fall of a meteorite. ... Subscribe to India eNews Headlines by Email. Blast in Pakistan, seven killed - 17 Mar 2009 ...www.indiaenews.com/india/20070208/38643.htm

India eNews - Scientists track asteroid from space to ground impact
... pieces were located by meteorite hunters in an intense search. ... © Copyright 2009 by India eNews - A Dark Blue Technologies Company. All rights reserved. ...www.indiaenews.com/america/20090327/187557.htm

Catastrophic Coincidence: Second Ever Example Of Contemporaneous ... ... 2009) — Scientists have discovered only the second example of a meteorite impact ... eruptions in India may have killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, not a ...www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107085320.htm

Link established between meteorite impact and massive volcanism 30 mln ...
Read the full story: Link established between meteorite impact and massive volcanism 30 mln yrs ago ... India News. India Election 2009. World News ...www.newkerala.com/topstory-fullnews-71465.html

4.6-billion-year old meteorite suggests much dustier origin for Earth ...
The analysis of a 4.6 billion-year-old meteorite that fell in India in 1940 has revealed higher than expected levels of sodium, suggesting that the dust cloudsfreshnews.in/46-billion-year-old-meteorite-suggests-much-dustier-or...

PLANETARY SOCIETY, INDIA
Meteorite no. 4 (14 g), placed on aluminium foil, shows the dark interior of a ... Another New Asteroid 2009 FH Discovered on 17th Mar,09 - Buzz Past Earth ...planetarysocietyindia.org

Jullundur: Definition from Answers.com
(March 2009) This article is about the city in India. For the Jalandhar meteorite of 1621, see meteorite falls . Jalandhar. Jalandhar ...www.answers.com/topic/jalandhar

Meteorite injuries in India? Bad Astronomy Discover Magazine
Science Update: D'oh! I did a dumb thing-- I didn't check the ... meteorite hit in eastern India, ... chosen as one of Time.com's Best Blogs of 2009. ...blogs.discovermagazine.com/.../2006/03/29/meteorite-injuries-in-india

Indian geologist discovers oldest impact structure in India ...
Shine: Jobs in India. ADVERTISEMENT. Posted: Sun, Jan 11 2009. 1:32 PM IST. Technology ... by an Indian in the field of meteorite impact event of Archean age. ...www.livemint.com/2009/01/11133043/Indian-geologist-discovers-old.html

Video Astronomy India
Clues To A Secret Of Life Found In Meteorite Dust (0) ... Copyright © 2009 Astronomy India – An Unique Astronomy Multimedia blog portal, ...astronomyindia.org/blog/tag/video

Martian Meteorite - Reference Library - redOrbit
A 165-million-year-old meteorite from Shergotty, India. Still to be analyzed ... © 2002-2009 redOrbit.com. All rights reserved. ...www.redorbit.com/education/reference_library/?article_id=50 - Cached

Interesting meteorite falls
... Malwate, man killed, woman injured in [14, 17] India meteorite fall 1827 02 ... [23] P. Jenniskens et al. (2009), Nature 458, 485-488 (26 March) ...www.cfa.harvard.edu/icq/meteorites.html

Maskelynite: Maskelynite mineral information and data.
Originally described from the Shergotty Martian meteorite, Gaya District, Bihar, India. ... Copyright © Jolyon & Ida Ralph 1993-2009. Site Map. ...www.mindat.org/min-7765.html - Cached

New Evidence Says Earth's Greatest Extinction Caused By Ancient Meteorite
... indicative of a large impact--immediately beneath the Deccan Traps of India. ... Of Contemporaneous Meteorite Impact And Flood Volcanism Discovered (Jan. 7, 2009) ...www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031121072051.htm - 54k - Cached

METEORITE AND TEKTITE BOOKS
The Geological Survey of India maintains a Meteorite Gallery in the Indian ... ORDER NOW. Copyright 1998-2009 by Mineralogical Research Co. All rights reserved. ...www.minresco.com/metbooks/mebook4.htm - Cached

Meteorites reveal secrets of Earth's history
Wadhwa, 39, caught the rock-hunting bug as a child in Chandigarh, India. ... Copyright © 2009, azcentral.com. All rights reserved. ...www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0812meteorite0812.html - 57k - Cached

- Lonar Meteroritic Crater near Aurangabad India on dubbagol.com
170 kms from Aurangabad, is the village of Lonar. Over 30,000 years ago, a falling meteorite struck the area creating the world's largest impact crate...www.dubbagol.com/Travel/Lonar_Meteroritic_Crater_near_Aurangabad - Cached

Recent meteorite falls around the world
2009 (2) 0 approved ... Macroscopic features of the Almahata Sitta meteorite. ... Tamil Nadu, India Status-highly probable Article about the fall. ...jensenmeteorites.com/New meteorites.htm - 54k - Cached

Muse India
Muse India - the literary ejournal ... Feb 04, 2009 ... (or possibly five) mass extinctions when large meteorites collided with the earth. ...www.museindia.com/viewrep2.asp?id=9924 - Cached

HOSUR WITNESSES SHOWER OF METEORITES
... India's leading national newspaper that covers south India like ... India Express Buzz. Monday, April 06, 2009 8:06 PM IST. RSS. LiveCricket. Videos. Blogs ...expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?artid=f4UXDltlAOk=&...&SEO=Hosur - 62k - Cached

LODRAN PHOTO
This rare meteorite fell at 2:00 P.M. about 12 miles east of Lodhran, Pakistan. ... ( 2009) to be 4.5581 b.y., as anchored to the absolute age of the Shallowater ...www.meteoritestudies.com/protected_LODRAN.HTM - Cached

India
Itawa-Bhopji meteorite. Jaipur Division. Jhunjhunu District. Khetri Mines (Ketri Mine) ... Copyright © Jolyon & Ida Ralph 1993-2009. Jobs in India Site Map. ...www.mindat.org/loc-16773.html - 153k - Cached

METEORITE - Online Information article about METEORITE
... in India, a man was killed in 1827 by a stone which is a true meteorite, and is ... Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2009 - Net Industries, worldwide. ...encyclopedia.jrank.org/MEC_MIC/METEORITE.html - 114k - Cached

Parnallee stony meteorite - Virtual Wonders at The Natural History Museum
It is part of the Parnallee meteorite that fell in India in 1857. ... Accessibility. Site map. Terms of use © 2009 The Natural History Museum. All Rights Reserved ...www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/virtual-wonders/vrmeteorite6.html - Cached

15 April 2009

Mölltaler will Meteoriten gesehen haben 15APR2009


Mölltaler will Meteoriten gesehen haben
12.04.2009, 12:50
Krone.at
http://www.krone.at/krone/S25/object_id__140938/hxcms/
Ein Meteorit hat, wie berichtet, in der Nacht zum Donnerstag für viel Aufregung gesorgt. Jetzt hat sich bei der "Krone" ein Augenzeuge aus dem Kärntner Mölltal gemeldet: "Der Meteorit flog bei meinem Fenster vorbei!" Fachleute vom Planetarium in Klagenfurt halten das durchaus für möglich. Und sie bitten um Meldungen, um die Flugbahn des Eindringlings aus dem All bestimmen zu können.

"Ein Grollen", "ein grelles Licht" - so beschrieben zahlreiche Kärntner das Phänomen. In St. Veit, Feldkirchen, Klagenfurt, im Seental Keutschach, ja sogar in Spittal war es aufgetreten.

"Flog an meinem Fenster vorbei"
Jetzt hat sich ein weiterer Augenzeuge aus dem Mölltal gemeldet; er hat nicht nur das Licht, sondern den Meteoriten gesehen. "Er flog an meinem Fenster vorbei! Ich hab mich nicht getäuscht; ich war nämlich hellwach und hab die Nachrichten gehört." Fachleute aus dem Planetarium halten das durchaus für möglich. Kurt Anetzhuber: "Der Meteorit könnte so groß wie ein Fußball sein oder sogar noch größer und trotzdem irgendwo unbemerkt aufgeschlagen sein."

Um das herauszufinden, braucht er Informationen. "Wenn man nämlich die Sichtungen zeitmäßig vergleicht, könnte man die Flugbahn berechnen. Es wäre nämlich schön, auch in Kärnten einmal einen Meteoriten zu finden. Es gibt noch keinen."

Meldungen bitte ans Planetarium unter 0463/21700-32.

von Serina Babka, Kronen Zeitung
Symbolbild

První meteorit s rodokmenem byl Příbram z roku 1959 15APR09



První meteorit s rodokmenem byl Příbram z roku 1959
The first meteorite with a pedigree Pribram 1959
vydáno: 06.04.2009, 10:00
http://magazin.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/prvni-meteorit-s-rodokmenem-byl-pribram-z-roku-1959/369467
Praha - V meteorické astronomii je česká věda na špičce světového výzkumu. Už před padesáti lety si v oboru připsala na konto dokonce světové prvenství - první meteorit s rodokmenem. Astronomům z Ondřejova se totiž 7. dubna 1959 podařilo vyfotografovat let a spočítat dráhu bolidu, jehož úlomky byly pak nalezeny u Příbrami. Zároveň vypočítali i dráhu původního meteoroidu ve sluneční soustavě a poprvé na světě se jim tak podařilo prokázat, že pochází z hlavního pásu planetek mezi drahami Marsu a Jupitera. ...

ImTranslator 3.3.3-P
Czech-English translation (use and bookmark ImTranslator 3.3.3-P) :

In meteor astronomy is the top Czech science research world. Already fifty years ago in the field has credited to the account of even the world first - the first meteorite with a pedigree. Andrew, the astronomers from the 7th April 1959 managed to take years to calculate the distance fireball, the fragments were then detected in Pribram. At the same time calculate the orbit of the original meteoroid in the solar system and the first time in the world they have managed to prove that from the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. ... [Excerpt original Czech] atricle

"Elgygytgyn": Vor 3,6 Millionen Jahren schlug hier ein Meteorit ein 15APR09

"Elgygytgyn":
Vor 3,6 Millionen Jahren schlug hier ein Meteorit ein
http://derstandard.at/?url=/?id=1237229540704
08. April 2009, 16:55
Der Kratersee, der sich danach gebildet hat, soll nun Aufschlüsse über die Klimageschichte der Arktis ermöglichen
Wien - Ein internationales Forscherteam möchte anhand eines Kratersees im Nordosten Sibiriens die Klimageschichte des hohen Nordens mit bisher ungeahnter Genauigkeit nachzeichnen. Die Arbeiten des International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) am Elgygytgyn-See haben begonnen, die Auswertung der Bohrkerne laufen unter österreichischer Leitung. Christian Köberl, international renommierter Impakt-Forscher der Uni Wien, hat die Aufgabe übernommen.

Dass sich die Wissenschafter ausgerechnet diesen See ausgesucht haben, ist kein Zufall. "Der See wurde vor rund 3,6 Millionen Jahren durch einen Meteoriteneinschlag verursacht und ist deswegen sehr tief", erklärt Köberl. Eine maximale Tiefe von 170 Metern wurde ermittelt, das sorgt dafür, dass das Gewässer nie komplett durchfriert. So ist die Klimageschichte, welche die Forscher anhand der Sedimentschichten ablesen wollen, lückenlos erhalten. Nicht zuletzt wollen die Wissenschafter klären, wie die Arktis auf Erwärmung und Abkühlung reagiert.

Sedimente und was darunter liegt

Erste Bohrungen haben ergeben, dass die vom See abgelagerten Schichten wenigstens seit rund einer Million Jahren ungestört sind. Das entspricht einer Sedimentschicht von rund 100 Metern. "Darunter findet sich Sand, das weist darauf hin, dass der See zu dieser Zeit ausgetrocknet war", so Köberl. Die genaueren Umstände müssen allerdings erst geklärt werden. Insgesamt sind die Sedimente rund 300 Meter mächtig.

Als Impakt-Forscher interessiert Köberl aber auch das, was sich unter den See-Sedimenten befindet, nämlich die Zeugnisse des Einschlags. Der Meteorit hat nämlich vor 3,6 Millionen Jahren in Vulkangestein eingeschlagen. Unter den See-Sedimenten erhofft sich der Wiener Forscher daher die durch den Einschlagsschock gezeichneten Gesteine zu finden. Letztendlich sollen daraus die freigesetzten Energien und die Größe des kosmischen Bröckerls errechnet werden.

Der See ist derzeit noch von einer 1,5 bis zwei Meter mächtigen Eisschicht bedeckt. Erst im Mai beginnt es zu tauen, im Juli und August ist er dann frei von Eis. Die Arbeiten sind mittlerweile angelaufen, die ersten Bohrkerne erreichten am 18. März die Oberfläche. Österreich ist seit Ende 2001 Mitglied beim ICDP, einer multinationalen Organisation, die sich mit wissenschaftlichen Bohrprojekten weltweit befasst. Unterstützt wird Köberl derzeit durch das Wissenschaftsministerium, für die weiteren Auswertungen hofft der Forscher auf die Genehmigung eines beim Wissenschaftsfonds FWF eingereichten Projekts. (APA/red)

Chinese/Japanese Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News MAR09-APR09

科學家發現一粒微隕石“來歷不明”
2009年04月10日 20:48:56  來源:新華網

新華網巴黎4月9日電(記者李學梅)一個由法國和美國科學家組成的科研小組經過研究證實,一粒早在約20年前發現的微隕石雖含有玄武岩成分,但卻並非來自已知的玄武岩“專有”星球。這一研究發現在天文學界尚屬首次。
研究人員在新一期美國《國家科學院學報》上介紹說,這一被命名為“MM04”的微隕石于1991年在南極洲被發現,質量只有幾微克,直徑不過150微米。經對其化學成分分析研究,他們發現它雖含有玄武岩成分,但卻既非來自月球,也非來自火星或灶神星。而之前發現的所有含有玄武岩成分的隕石,都分別來自這三個天體。
“我們發現過來自灶神星的玄武岩隕石,也有來自月球和火星的玄武岩隕石,”倫敦自然歷史博物館的專家卡羅琳·史密斯評論說,“但是對‘MM04’的化學分析表明它不是來自這些地方。”
研究人員指出,這粒微隕石到底來自何處至今還是個謎,它很可能來自一顆還不為人知的行星。他們認為,對這粒微隕石繼續展開相關研究將有助于拓寬人類對行星的認識。
http://big5.xinhuanet.com/gate/big5/news.xinhuanet.com/world/2009-04/10/content_11165677.htm

時事通信
大型肉食魚は絶滅しやすい=化石で判明
時事通信 - ‎Apr 7, 2009‎
約6500万年前に絶滅した大型肉食魚の化石(左)と現在のメカジキ(米シカゴ大提供)。隕石衝突でちりが空に漂い、陸上の植物や海の植物プランクトンの光合成が妨げられ、動物も餌が乏しくなって大半が絶滅した 【時事通信社】
隕石研究破解來自天外的生命神秘的密碼
新華網 - ‎Mar 22, 2009‎
在3月16日的《美國國家科學院院刊》上,美國國家航空航天局(NASA)的科學家指出,他們在對隕石的成分進行分析後,發現了生命在其最基本分子水平上的運作機制。 論文第一作者、NASA戈達德宇航中心的丹尼爾·格拉夫因博士說,太空中產生的氨基酸等生命分子是通過隕石的衝擊 ...

地上の小惑星、砂漠で発見
アストロアーツ - ‎Mar 30, 2009‎
落下前に見つかった小惑星が隕石として回収されるのは初めてのことで、宇宙の天体を地上の実験室で分析するまたとないチャンスだ。 回収された2008_TC3由来の隕石。クリックで拡大(提供:Jenniskens, et. al.) 隕石を捜索する学生たち。 ...
愛爾蘭欲借助安防攝像機尋找墜落隕石
新浪網 - ‎Apr 7, 2009‎
新浪科技訊北京時間4月8日消息,據英國《每日郵報》報道,愛爾蘭的安防攝像機(security camera)或許對科學家找到5日夜降落到地球上的隕石有所幫助。據報道,5日夜不少地方的人都在英國夏令時12時30分看到了那顆明亮的流星,有的人在多尼加爾,有的人是則在科克,而這兩個 ...

読売新聞

工夫次第で生態系維持 香坂玲(りょう)さん 33
読売新聞 - ‎Apr 4, 2009‎
恐竜は隕石(いんせき)の衝突で絶滅したと言われるが、今人間の手によって同じようなことが行われている」と、警鐘を鳴らす。 カナダ・モントリオールにある生物多様性条約事務局に昨年まで2年間勤務。生物多様性の現状に通じ、里山を例にその重要性を市民に説いて回る ...

地球の中は宇宙より不思議だ [80点]
週刊シネママガジン - ‎Mar 26, 2009‎
これまで地震や火山の噴火や大寒波に隕石の飛来などの自然災害を描いたパニック映画はたくさんあったが、地球のコアの回転が止まるという発想は初めてではないだろうか。 止まってしまったコアを再び回転させるために人類はどうやってそこまで行きどのような手段を取る ...

聯合新聞網

長羽毛、飛上天恐龍大變身
聯合新聞網 - ‎Apr 12, 2009‎
由國科會主辦,台灣大學物理系及天文物理研究所承辦,聯合報、公共電視、科學人雜誌、NEWS98協辦的2009展望系列演講,昨天舉行第二場演講,題目為「一顆隕石攪亂了一池春水─恐龍的大滅絕與大復甦」。 演化的趨勢和作用、模式,是基因或是運氣?是不適應還是不幸運? ...

可觀賞也可擁有/選購化石入門級百元就有
自由時報 - ‎Mar 29, 2009‎
「收藏家級」的有活化石鸚鵡螺、三葉蟲等化石,有些鸚鵡螺甚至還保留變成化石前咀嚼小昆蟲的樣態;隕石受教師與研究者喜愛,店家強調,展售的隕石都經過國際隕石協會鑑定,再根據被大氣層燃燒的紋路及鎳鐵含量分級。
古礦物變「石尚」 化石商品化 自由時報
【北台大蒐奇】15年蒐藏/牙醫師鉅資開設化石博物館 自由時報
偶然啟發一頭栽入/許威傑化石狂熱份子 自由時報

俄研制出飛船外殼“自我修復”新材料
新華網海南頻道 - ‎Apr 6, 2009‎
目前,這種材料尚處于試驗的最初階段,它將應用于未來的飛船和空間站,在飛船或空間站外殼因微小隕石或太空垃圾撞擊而遭受輕微損壞時,它將能自動收縮修復至原來狀態,從而恢復其密封性。 太空垃圾或微小隕石是國際空間站面臨的巨大威脅。2007年6月,空間站兩名宇航 ...

自由時報

紀佳松做外星夢在網路花八千塊買隕石
自由時報 - ‎Mar 29, 2009‎
創作新人紀佳松從小就對外太空、外星人、行星等等,這些天文方面很有興趣,愛上網購物的他,在加拿大留學時竟然在e bay網站上買了一顆隕石,紀佳松說:「那時候看到就很想擁有,他從100塊美金開始起標,我最後用八千塊台幣左右的價錢買下來。」問紀佳松說不怕被騙,紀佳松 ...

13 April 2009

Meteorite hunting Lolland, Denmark - photo story by Mirko Graul 13APR09

A small photo story from the meteorite hunting in Lolland/Denmark
by Mirko Graul

Here the direct links to the photo pages:
http://www.meteorite-mirko.de/0334af9beb0bbe82e/0334af9beb0b4ac02/index.php

http://www.meteorite-mirko.de/0334af9beb0bbe82e/0334af9beb0ba2618/index.php

http://www.meteorite-mirko.de/0334af9beb0bbe82e/0334af9beb0ba6723/index.php

West Texas Fireball Photographer Honored 12APR09

Planetarium honors photojournalist's meteorite video
4/12/2009 12:18 PM
By: News 8 Austin Staff

A piece of footage got national attention, and last night, it got News 8 photojournalist Eddie Garcia an award at a star-studded evening.

Parts of the meteorite were found scattered around Texas.

The video was shot by Garcia during the Austin Marathon Feb. 15, and was first thought to be satellite debris but later it was discovered to be a meteorite falling to earth....
more: http://www.news8austin.com/content/your_news/default.asp?ArID=237666

12 April 2009

West Texas- 1700 Gram Meteorite Found 12APR09

Hill County residents find largest rock yet from local meteorite shower
By Ken Sury
Waco Tribune-Herald
Sunday, April 12, 2009
MENLOW – The biggest piece discovered from the Feb. 15 meteor that broke apart near West now sits in a meteorite museum in Kansas, its owner happy to have acquired the space rock as well as the trust of the Hill County couple who found it and sold it to him.
http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/04/12/04122009wacmeteorite.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=11

10 April 2009

Austria Bolide Produces Bright Light and Sound 10APR09

Earthquake turns out to be an exploding meteorite
Hundreds of Carinthians were left terrified thinking they had been hit by an earthquake after a meteorite exploded over their homes early yesterday (Thurs, 9APR09).
Locals said the meteorite exploded at about 3AM with what sounded like an enormous thunder clap followed by rumbling and howling. Hans Handler from Velden told the newspaper Österreich yesterday: "I though it was either an earthquake or a crashing airplane."Experts at an observatory at Gerlitzen near Villach said the meteorite had reached a temperature of more than 1,000 degrees Celsius after entering the earth’s atmosphere. They added the bang it had caused had been heard over a wide area of the province.
Hermann Mucke, the long-time chief of an astronomical office in Vienna, told the newspaper: "The meteorite produced a glow of an electric nature. Most such meteorites are detected at altitudes ranging from 80 to 120 kilometres."
Mucke added, however, that it would be impossible to prove that the phenomenon had been a meteorite. He said there was only one so-called "fireball" camera in Austria, which was located in the Waldviertel far from Carinthia, and so there were no photos of what had lit up the Carinthian sky yesterday morning.
Austrian Times
http://austriantimes.at/index.php?id=12446

09 April 2009

Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News 9APR09

Newly-Discovered Meteorite From An Otherworldly Rock Formation
By Annalee Newitz, 8:30 AM on Tue Apr 7 2009
A micrometeorite found in Antarctica was shed from rock formations like this one. They look too regular to be natural. Is this tiny space rock part of an ancient alien castle?
Nope - it's just a tiny chunk of basalt.
Yesterday an international group of researchers announced their discovery in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,...
http://io9.com/5195942/newly+discovered-meteorite-from-an-otherworldly-rock-formation

08 April 2009

Discovery of New Microorganisms in the Stratosphere 9APR09

Discovery of New Microorganisms in the Stratosphere
March 18, 2009
PhysOrg.com
-- Three new species of bacteria, which are not found on Earth and which are highly resistant to ultra-violet radiation, have been discovered in the upper stratosphere by Indian scientists. One of the new species has been named as Janibacter hoylei, after the Distinguished Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle, the second as Bacillus isronensis recognising the contribution of ISRO in the balloon experiments which led to its discovery and the third as Bacillus aryabhata after India’s celebrated ancient astronomer Aryabhata and also the first satellite of ISRO. ...
More: http://www.physorg.com/news156626262.html

Tiny Rock Found in Antarctica Excites Astrochemists 8APR09

Tiny rock excites astrochemists
BBC NEWS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7985788.stm

A "unique" micrometeorite found in Antarctica is challenging ideas about how planets can form.Detailed analysis has shown that the sample, known as MM40, has a chemical composition unlike any other fragment of fallen space rock. This, say experts, raises questions about where it originated in the Solar System and how it was created. It also means that astrochemists must expand their list of the combinations of materials in planetary crusts.

The detailed analysis of MM04 was led by Matthieu Gounelle from the Laboratory of Mineralogy and Cosmochemistry at the French Natural History Museum. Published in PNAS, the analysis revealed the "unique" chemical composition of MM04 despite it being only 150 microns across as its widest point - about half the width of a written full stop.

Micrometeorites are often seen as the 'poor man's space probe' Dr Caroline Smith, Natural History Museum Dr Caroline Smith, curator of meteorites at the Natural History Museum, London,UK, said the sample was important because of the role that the study of meteorites played in our understanding of Solar System and planetary formation.

MM04 was a basaltic achondritic micrometeorite, said Dr Smith. Achondritic meteorites were formed when the Solar System's planets were coming into being. The substances in such meteorites and the processes they have undergone can give clues about how the larger bodies were formed. By contrast, chondritic meteorites were formed during the the Solar System's early days before material had accreted into planets. They have not been altered by the melting and re-crystalisation that has utterly transformed the nature of, say, Earth rocks.

Dr Mahesh Anand, an astrochemist from the department of Earth & Environmental Sciences at the Open University, said: "It is fascinating as to how much information can be retrieved about the processes involved in planetary formation from tiny fragments of extra-terrestrial material that routinely arrive on Earth anonymously."For Dr Smith, the excitement of MM04 lay in the mystery of its origins."We have basaltic meteorites that are thought to come from an asteroid called 4Vesta and we also have basaltic meteorites from the Moon and Mars," said Dr Smith. "But [MM04's] chemistry does not match any of those places," she said. "It has to be from somewhere else."While its ultimate origins are a mystery it does have implications for the ways that astrochemists thought planets could be formed.

The analysis of MM04 showed that the "inventory" of such processes must be expanded, said Dr Smith."Micrometeorites are often seen as the 'poor man's space probe'," said Dr Smith "They land on Earth fortuitously and we do not have to spend millions of dollars or euros on a robotic mission to get them."

Calgary, Alberta Fireball 1APR09 8APR09

Colourful start to commute as fireball explodes in sky
Calgary Sun
Wed, April 1, 2009/ updated 2009-0401
by Katie Schneider

The commute to work got a little bit brighter yesterday when a multi-coloured fireball streaked across the Calgary sky and exploded like fireworks.
Patricia Larson was driving to work with her husband on 12 Ave. S.W., about 6:30 a.m., when she saw a bright blue-green light smear in a north-south direction and then break apart into fragments after about 20 seconds.
"It was so bright, a very cool colour -- I haven't seen one that bright and not that big," she said.
Martin Lewanzick was driving on Glenmore Tr., at 84 St. S.E., about the same time when he saw the fireball that he described as white and blue in colour explode before his eyes. "It was really low in the sky, it was really wild -- it looked like a welder's torch," he said. "It blew up right in front of me and broke into a million pieces and fizzled."
Alan Hildebrand, a University of Calgary planetary scientist and co-ordinator of the Canadian Fireball Reporting Centre, said he will review photos and talk to witnesses to determine if the space rock left behind any meteorites. The show was also seen in Edmonton, Red Deer and Regina areas.
http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2009/04/01/8958726-sun.html

07 April 2009

Handyavi- North Central California Bolide 7APR09


Photo by Larry Stange (c) 2009 - YC Sentinel

This Bolide's duration was apprx. 1 second ending in a single brilliant explosion bright enough to be visible goodly distances and likely well into Nevada. Near Yuba City`s Eastern portion of Zenith.Estimated magnitude to be 3/4 full moon. Light curve is a clean single very large pulse. No post explosion products noted on this first filming by the Sentinel camera.
PDT = April 7, 2009 at 0359:31

update:
Examination of Handyavi frame records shows what appears to be a single piece may have been discharged a short distance from the point of explosion which became bright then faded out. Slow frame rate does not allow good tracking of post explosion by-products.

Speculation on this unusual event....
The extremely steep & sharp light curve suggests this fireball did not burn up. It may have just blown itself apart which would account for the one or two(?) visible light particles afterward.

Pictures and updates:
http://www.geocities.com/stange34@sbcglobal.net/2009pp3.html
Larry Stange, YCSentinel

Related? from Texas:
Do you have a guess to the source of your fireball. The reason I am asking is I just had a second major bolide a few mintues ago since saturday night.
This one this evening was very green with a bright terminal burst.The one saturday night was white and about a third of the way through it's flight it exploded and there was a stream of debris,with about 8 luminus bodies, following the main fireball.
Both look to me to be earth grazers, my guess is the radiant is somewhere between Virgo and Ophiuchus, maybe some where in the area of Serpens Caput.This best I can pin it down at this time.Anyone have any guesses to the source active?
Thomas DormanHorizon City,Texas--- On Tue, 4/7/09

Related? from California:
I am wondering if this is the same sighting I saw last night. 9:18 pm
(or shortly thereafter as I was on the phone at that time to my office and mentioned it....)
I am in Southern California... I was heading south on the 5 fwy from the city of Orange... Large GREEN fireball heading from north to south.... seemed to slow down and got brighter just before it send out... very impressive to be so bright with the moon at 3/4 and being in the middle of the lights of the city...
Richard, California

06 April 2009

Meteorite News 6APR09

Great ball of fire! Shooting star spotted over Ireland sparks ...
Daily Mail
By Daily Mail Reporter
Security cameras in Ireland may help scientists to find a meteorite that streaked to Earth on Sunday night. ...

Hunt is on to catch a fallen meteorite
Irish Independent - Dublin,Ireland
EXCITED astronomers are hot on the trail of a meteorite they believe may have struck Ireland on Saturday night. For a few seconds around midnight on ...

How Life Shatters Chemistry's Mirror
Astrobiology Magazine - USA
"We're still in the dark how it happened," says Sandra Pizzarello from Arizona State University, who has analyzed many of the meteorite samples. ...
http://www.astrobio.net/news/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=3092

Astronomers make unprecedented asteroid impact observations
Gizmag - Victoria, Australia
The measurements taken by the Herschel Telescope in La Palma were now compared with the direct analysis of the meteorite shards. The two were found to be in ...
http://www.gizmag.com/astronomers-asteroid-hit-the-earth/11395/

What's in a name? Lake Drummond, Great Dismal Swamp
The Virginian-Pilot - Norfolk,VA,USA
Theories abound about its origin, a meteorite, an intense peat fire, a tectonic shift. There is even a Native American legend that a great " fire bird" ...
http://hamptonroads.com/2009/04/whats-name-lake-drummond-great-dismal-swamp

Why ET's genetic code could be just like ours
MIT Technology Review - Cambridge, MA,USA
Curiously, analyses of meteorite samples have found exactly these same 10 amino acids. Various researchers have noted this link but none have explained it. ...
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/23309/

North Eire-Security cameras clue to fireball 6APR09

Security cameras clue to fireball
Northern Ireland
BBC NEWS
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7985093.stm
The light in the sky is thought to have been a shooting star
Security cameras in Northern Ireland may shed some light on the cause of a massive fireball in the sky on Sunday.
The shooting star was reported at about 1230 BST by people living as far apart as Donegal and Cork.
David Moore chairman of Astronomy Ireland said they were fairly certain it was a rock from space which could have landed somewhere in Ireland.
He said they were very keen to hear from anyone who has footage of what is suspected to be a meteor falling.
"We're fairly certain that it was a rock from space, a meteor which may have dropped a meteorite," he said.
"We are asking people to send in their reports, so we can triangulate on the path and figure out did it land on Ireland?"
The last time a meteorite was seen over Ireland was in 1999 over Carlow and there was a similar event over the skies of Northern Ireland 30 years earlier.
Mr Moore said that no pictures had yet come to light of the incident, as it only lasted a few seconds.
But, he said, security cameras often captured such explosions in the sky.
"What can happen is security cameras that are filming in car parks or outdoors can catch these shooting stars, these fireballs, accidentally. So if anybody has any footage of that, we would be delighted to see it.
"We think...it came from the west across the centre of Ireland, which means everybody would have seen it. We have reports from Cork and even from up as far as Donegal."
He said security cameras in Northern Ireland facing towards the south probably would have picked it up.
Anyone who saw it is asked to contact the Astronomy Ireland website on www.astronomy.ie.
"We will publish a report there in a few days," said Mr Moore.
"We will also predict where any meteorite might have fallen, as we did with Carlow in 1999. A lady found the meteorite in a small country lane.
"They will look like melted rocks, probably not very large. We are looking for objects that would fit, in that particular case, in a mug. But they could be larger."

Security cameras clue to fireball
BBC News
Security cameras in Northern Ireland may shed some light on the cause of a massive fireball in the sky on Sunday. The shooting star was reported at about ...

29MAR09 Fireball over Mid-Eastern Seaboard USA 5APR09

A video of the flash produced by the March 29th fireball, seen over the
mid-eastern seaboard of the United States, has been provided to the American
Meteor Society. It is now available for viewing from the AMS website at:
http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireball/fireball_log2009.html

Source:
Robert Lunsford
American Meteor Society

Mar28/29 Fireballs over New Mexico 5APR09

March 28/29 Fireballs over New Mexico
In checking the AMS fireball log:
http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireball/fireball_log2009.html

Here are movies of your event #211 over New Mexico:
http://www.heliotown.com/Fireballs_March_29_2009.html
( Note, my observatory timing is UT so this event is reported March 28
in the AMS log)

And, here is a movie of an unreported more significant fireball that
happened over west central New Mexico, March 28, 2009 at 0919UT ( 3:19 am MDT).
http://www.heliotown.com/v20090328_091924UT_Ashcraft.mov

Source:
Thomas Ashcraft
Radio Fireball Observatory
35.50 N 105.89 W
New Mexico

Meteorite News 5APR09

It came from outer space
Mail Tribune - Medford,OR,USA
The historical society had inherited the meteorite from a previous museum, and though the donor's name was unknown, the curator had been told it was ...
http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090405/NEWS/904050318/-1/LIFE

Numa students learning about space
Lahontan Valley News - Fallon,NV,USA
The prize for the best plan is a small piece of a meteorite that fell to Earth from the moon. The three classes each designed a crew route and orbital paths ...
http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20090404/NEWS/904049984/1055&ParentProfile=1045

Vatican puts itself in the frame for modern art
Scotsman - United Kingdom
... artist Maurizio Cattelan exhibited his scandalous La Nona Ora (The Ninth Hour) – a life-size figure of John Paul being crushed by a black meteorite. ...
http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20090404/NEWS/904049984/1055&ParentProfile=1045

How astrophysics could save heart patients
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
Professor Petford's technology uses a computer to scan images of cracks in a meteorite or arteries in the heart to produce an accurate simulation of how ...
http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20090404/NEWS/904049984/1055&ParentProfile=1045

04 April 2009

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