31 January 2009

Younger Dryas Mammoth-killing Comet Questioned 29JAN09

1. Mammoth-killing Comet Questioned
BBC News, UK
"A study of wildfires after the last ice age has cast doubt on the theory that a giant comet impact wiped out woolly mammoths and prehistoric humans."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7854348.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_7854000/7854348.stm

2. 12900 Years Ago: North American Comet Impact Theory Disproved
Science Daily (press release) - Jan 26, 2009
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090126173729.htm

Journal reference: J. R. Marlon, P. J. Bartlein, M. K. Walsh, S. P. Harrison, et al.
Wildfire responses to abrupt climate change in North America.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, DOI: 10.1073_pnas.0808212106
Source: P.V.H.

Artifacts Embedded in Suevite Reported from Malaysia ?? 29JAN09

USM Archaeological discovery can change world history
Article Released Thu-29th-January-2009 09:43 GMT
Mohamad Abdullah Institution: Universiti Sains Malaysia
http://www.researchsea.com/html/article.php/aid/3937/cid/6/research/usm_archaeological_discovery_can_change_world_history.html?PHPSESSID=b8204aec6f223e9ca02c1eae347bf168

In part the article stated:
"Penang, Malaysia 29 January – In a press conference this morning, The Centre for Archaeological Research Malaysia (CARM) announced evidence of human existence in Malaysia from approximately 1.83 million years ago."

Also, it stated:
"The advance study at Bukit Bunuh of Lenggong in the state of Perak, Malaysia was conducted in 2008. This new evidence consists of stone tools artefacts such as hand axe and flake tools. Those artefacts were found cemented in a rock called suevite, a type of rock formed by the impact of meteorite. The rock has been dated using a fission track dating method in Geochronology Lab in Japan, Tokyo, and discloses a date of approximately 1.83 ± 0.61 million years old."

And it stated:
"Handaxe that was made out of suevite has also been discovered. Meteorite impact had caused the native stone to melt and formed a new stone called suevite. This impact has been substantiated by the presence of suevite, crossed- lamellar microstructure on quartz, physical anomaly evidence and geomorphology evidence of an impact crater. The distribution of suevite is approximately 3-4 km2"

Another article is:

Leggong had early humans 1.8m years ago (updated)
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/1/29/nation/20090129172833&sec=nation
Source: Paul Heinrich, LA, USA 30JAN09
-------------------------------------
Related Post:
Does anyone know anything about these so-called impact structures?

HC potential of meteorite impact structures, focus on Sundaland
http://www.mail-archive.com/iagi-net@iagi.or.id/msg03653.html

This talk states:
"Several impact structures have been recently discovered in pre-Tertiary Peninsular Malaysia. In the Langkawi islands three of four arcuate ridges are associated with cleaved quartz that crops out as a sill and dyke complex. Other shock-metamorphic features include ribbon quartz and mosaicism. The two major craters, named Mahsuri Rings, partially overlap and each is about 2.4 km across. In 280o - 100o direction their centres are 600metres apart."

AND:
"Another proven impact structure is the Paloh Ring that straddles the state boundary between Terengganu and Pahang. The proof consists of planar deformation features (PDFs) and mosaicism in vein quartz intruded into undivided Carboniferous metasedimentary strata that compose the lower eastern slope of the 623m high Paloh peak."

Does anyone know anything about these alleged impact craters?
Please comment if you have any further information.

Source: P.V.H. 30JAN09
--------------------------------------
Rewriting 'Out of Africa' Theory
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/2465951/Article/index_html
Rewriting 'Out of Africa' theory
By: Melissa Darlyne Chow
GEORGE TOWN:
Universiti Sains Malaysia's (USM) Centre for Archaeological Research Malaysia has found evidence of early human existence in the country dating back 1.83 million years."This discovery may make the rewriting of the 'out of Africa' theory necessary," the centre's director, Associate Professor Mokhtar Saidin said. The evidence was obtained from the discovery of artefacts in Bukit Bunuh, Lenggong, Perak. Mokhtar said the evidence found included stone-made tools such as axes and chopping tools. The artefacts were found embedded in suevite rock, formed as a result of the impact of meteorite crashing down at Bukit Bunuh. The suevite rock, reputedly the first found in Southeast Asia, was sent to the Geochronology Japan Laboratory three months ago and carbon dated using the fission track dating method.Mokhtar said the results were sent back to USM two weeks ago and it showed the rock was dated to 1.83 million years ago. He said based on current studies, there was fresh evidence of human mobility coming from Asia and Southeast Asia, and not just out of Africa. Based on world evidence, there was early human existence "out of Africa" in Georgia (1.8 to 1.7 million years ago); Sangiran, Jawa, Indonesia (1.7 to 1.2 million years ago); as well as Longgupo and Yuanmou in China (1.8 to 1.6 million years ago). He noted that with the new evidence, there was a possibility that the hominids in Jawa could have migrated from Bukit Bunuh as a result of destruction from the impact of meteorites.The four square-kilometre site, which was first excavated between 2001 and 2003, revealed a Palaeolithic culture, dated at 40,000 years ago. The meteorite crash site was also discovered, the impact of which had caused thestones in its original state at Bukit Bunuh to melt, congeal and subsequently form the suevite rock. USM Vice-Chancellor Tan Sri Prof Dzulkifli Abdul Razak said the discovery was animportant one for USM and the country as it would enable researchers to understand the origins of early humans in this region. He said the new discovery would also change the understanding of human exploration in this region.

Mid-Pleistocene impact at Dakhleh Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt

Mid-Pleistocene impact at Dakhleh Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt
A new paper has just been published about this impact. Smith, J. R., M. R. Kleindienst, H. P. Schwarcz, C. S. Churcher, J. M. Kieniewicz, G. R. Osinski, and A. F.C. Haldemann, 2009, Potential consequences of a Mid-Pleistocene impact event for the Middle Stone Age occupants of Dakhleh Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt.
Quaternary International. Volume 195, no. 1-2, pp, 138-149 (15 February 2009) doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2008.02.005
http://dx.doi.org/

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6VGS-4S1C8CB-2&_user=10&_coverDate=02%2F15%2F2009&_rdoc=14&_fmt=high&_orig=browse&_srch=doc-info(%23toc%236046%232009%23998049998%23866095%23FLA%23display%23Volume)&_cdi=6046&_sort=d&_docanchor=&_ct=19&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=913463ba7467fe0617a892eb9fb829c1

Quaternary International. Volume 195, no.12
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/10406182

Another Paper:
Osinski, G. R. H. P. Schwarcz, J. R. Smith, M. R. Kleindienst, A. F.C. Haldemanne and C. S. Churcherf, 2007, Evidence for a circa 200–100 ka meteorite impact in the Western Desert of Egypt. Earth and Planetary Science Letters. vol. 253, no. 3-4, pp. 378-388. doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2006.10.039
http://dx.doi.org/

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V61-4MH2C3K-2&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=3a9ede3c568dda82d7baecd87e247d48

Volume 278, Issues 1-2, Pages 1-142 (15 February 2009) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/0012821X
Source: Paul Heinrich, LA, USA

30 January 2009

2009 PAH Asteroid Calendar-Goldstone NASA

Image of the asteroid Gaspra-NASA
2009 PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroid) Asteroid Calendar
Goldstone Asteroid Schedule

Upcoming Goldstone Observations
Last update: 2009 January 25
Source: http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/goldstone_asteroid_schedule.html

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: ///////////////Asteroid// NeedsAstrometry?// Needs Physical Observations? //Threat? //Schedule Notes
2009 Feb 7- 8 //2006 AS2 //No// Yes// PHA// Also scheduled at Arecibo.
2009 Feb 10, 13 //1999 AQ10// No //Yes// PHA //Also scheduled at Arecibo.
2009 Mar-Apr 2008 //SV11// Yes //Yes //PHA //Also requested at Arecibo.
2009 Jun// (136617) 1994 CC// Not yet// Yes //PHA //Astrometry needed in 2009 just before closest approach
2009 Jun// 2001 FE90// Yes //Yes// PHA//Astrometry needed in 2009 just before closest approach
2009 Sep// 2000 CO101// Yes// Yes// PHA
2009 Sep// (152664) 1998 FW4 //Yes //Yes// PHA
2009 Oct// (68216) 2001 CV26 //Yes //Yes //PHA //GOLDSTONE MAY BE OFFLINE FOR MAINTENANCE
2009 Oct// (159402) 1999 AP10 //Yes //Yes //GOLDSTONE MAY BE OFFLINE FOR MAINTENANCE

2009 COMETS FOR VIEWING in the Northern Hemisphere

Drawing of Ancient Chinese Comet Observations-NASA


COMETS FOR VIEWING in the Northern Hemisphere- a 2009 monthly calendar.

For more information as to photos, viewing time, location, and brightness see Yoshida Seiichi`s homepage--- all about Comets: http://aerith.net/comet/future-n.html

For Comet in World Languages see: http://meteoritesjapan.com/comet.aspx
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Below are active links to Yoshida San`s Homepage for each COMET-click comet name to view.)
2009 Jan
85P/Boethin
144P/Kushida
C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
210P/2008 X4 (Christensen)
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
C/2008 A1 (McNaught)
C/2006 OF2 (Broughton)
C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring)
C/2008 T2 (Cardinal)
C/2006 Q1 (McNaught)
67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko
29P/Schwassmann- Wachmann 1
22P/Kopff


2009 Feb
C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
144P/Kushida
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
85P/Boethin
C/2006 OF2 (Broughton)
C/2008 A1 (McNaught)
C/2008 T2 (Cardinal)
22P/Kopff
C/2006 Q1 (McNaught)
C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring)
29P/Schwassmann- Wachmann 1
210P/2008 X4 (Christensen)
67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko

2009 Mar
C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
144P/Kushida
C/2006 OF2 (Broughton)
22P/Kopff
C/2008 T2 (Cardinal)
C/2008 A1 (McNaught)
C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring)
85P/Boethin
C/2006 Q1 (McNaught)
116P/Wild 4
67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko
29P/Schwassmann- Wachmann 1


2009 Apr
C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
C/2008 T2 (Cardinal)
144P/Kushida
22P/Kopff
C/2008 A1 (McNaught)
C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring)
C/2006 OF2 (Broughton)
C/2006 Q1 (McNaught)
67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko
29P/Schwassmann- Wachmann 1
116P/Wild 4


2009 May
C/2008 T2 (Cardinal)
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
22P/Kopff
C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring)
C/2006 OF2 (Broughton)
C/2008 A1 (McNaught)
67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko
144P/Kushida
C/2006 Q1 (McNaught)
116P/Wild 4
29P/Schwassmann- Wachmann 1

2009 Jun
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
22P/Kopff
C/2008 Q3 (Garradd)
88P/Howell
64P/Swift- Gehrels
C/2006 OF2 (Broughton)
P/2001 MD7 (LINEAR)
116P/Wild 4
67P/Churyumov- Gerasimenko


2009 Jul
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
88P/Howell
22P/Kopff
C/2008 Q3 (Garradd)
P/2001 MD7 (LINEAR)
116P/Wild 4
64P/Swift- Gehrels


2009 Aug
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
22P/Kopff
88P/Howell
P/2001 MD7 (LINEAR)
C/2007 N3 (Lulin)
64P/Swift- Gehrels


2009 Sep
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring)
88P/Howell
22P/Kopff
P/2001 MD7 (LINEAR)
81P/Wild 2


2009 Oct
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring)
88P/Howell
P/2001 MD7 (LINEAR)
22P/Kopff
81P/Wild 2
118P/Sheomaker- Levy 4
29P/Schwassmann- Wachmann 1


2009 Nov
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
P/2001 MD7 (LINEAR)
C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring)
88P/Howell
118P/Sheomaker- Levy 4
169P/NEAT
22P/Kopff
81P/Wild 2
29P/Schwassmann- Wachmann 1

2009 Dec
C/2006 W3 (Christensen)
C/2007 Q3 (Siding Spring)
169P/NEAT
81P/Wild 2
88P/Howell
P/2001 MD7 (LINEAR)
118P/Sheomaker- Levy 4
29P/Schwassmann- Wachmann 1


Source: http://aerith.net/comet/future-n.html by Yoshida Seiichi, Japan

29 January 2009

2009 Meteor Shower Calendar


2009 Meteor Shower Calendar

Meteor Shower Activity MAX
Quadrantids (QUA) Jan 01 - Jan 05 Jan 03
α-Centaurids (ACE) Jan 28 - Feb 21 Feb 07
δ-Leonids (DLE) Feb 15 - Mar 10 Feb 25
γ-Normids (GNO) Feb 25 - Mar 22 Mar 13
Lyrids (LYR) Apr 16 - Apr 25 Apr 22
π-Puppids (PPU) Apr 15 - Apr 28 Apr 23
η-Aquariids (ETA) Apr 19 - May 28 May 06
η-Lyrids (ELY) May 03 - May 12 May 09
June Bootids (JBO) Jun 22 - Jul 02 Jun 27
Piscis Austrinids (PAU) Jul 15 - Aug 10 Jul 28
South. δ-Aquariids (SDA) Jul 12 - Aug 19 Jul 28
α-Capricornids (CAP) Jul 03 - Aug 15 Jul 30
Perseids (PER)(*) Jul 17 - Aug 24 Aug 12
κ-Cygnids (KCG) Aug 03 - Aug 25 Aug 17
α-Aurigids (AUR) Aug 25 - Sep 08 Sep 01
September Perseids (SPE) Sep 05 - Sep 17 Sep 09
δ-Aurigids (DAU) Sep 18 - Oct 10 Sep 29
Draconids (DRA) Oct 06 - Oct 10 Oct 08
ε-Geminids (EGE) Oct 14 - Oct 27 Oct 18
Orionids (ORI) Oct 02 - Nov 07 Oct 21
Leo Minorids (LMI) Oct 19 - Oct 27 Oct 23
Southern Taurids (STA) Sep 25 - Nov 25 Nov 05
Northern Taurids (NTA) Sep 25 - Nov 25 Nov 12
Leonids (LEO) Nov 10 - Nov 23 Nov 17
α-Monocerotids (AMO) Nov 15 - Nov 25 Nov 21
Dec Phoenicids (PHO) Nov 28 - Dec 09 Dec 06
Puppid/Velids (PUP) Dec 01 - Dec 15 (Dec 07)
Monocerotids (MON) Nov 27 - Dec 17 Dec 09
σ-Hydrids (HYD) Dec 03 - Dec 15 Dec 12
Geminids (GEM) Dec 07 - Dec 17 Dec 14
Ursids (URS) Dec 17 - Dec 26 Dec 22
Coma Berenicids (CBE) Dec 12 - Jan 23 Dec 30
---------------------------------------------------------
Source: IMO
http://www.imo.net/calendar/2009?PHPSESSID=6adca6ffafe117ffeac41d1ee076f87f

Jan. 2009 Earth-asteroid encounters


Jan. 2009 Earth-asteroid encounters
Near-Earth Asteroids
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding new ones all the time.
On January 30, 2009 there were 1018 KNOWN potentially hazardous asteroids.


It is the UNKNOWN ones that we most likely will encounter up close...KEEP LOOKING!--d.r.

Jan. 2009 Earth-asteroid encounters:
Asteroid; Date(UT) ;Miss Distance ;Mag. ;Size
2008 YC29 ;Jan. 2 ;3.4 LD ;18 ;35 m
2008 YY32 ;Jan. 3 ;6.2 LD; 18; 40 m
2008 YG30; Jan. 4; 3.6 LD; 16; 50 m
2008 YV32; Jan. 9 ;2.7 LD ;19; 25 m
2008 YF29; Jan. 11; 9.7 LD ;18 ;65 m
2002 AO11; Jan. 15; 7.7 LD;17 ;120 m
1998 CS1 ; Jan. 17 ;11 LD ;12; 1.3 km
2009 BS5 ;Jan. 17 ;2.4 LD; 18 ;15 m
2009 BJ2 ;Jan. 21; 4.6 LD ;19 ;16 m
2009 BE ;Jan. 23 ;2.1 LD ;17 ;26 m
2009 BD ;Jan. 25; 1.8 LD ;19 ;10 m
2009 BO5 ;Jan. 25 ;6.7 LD ;20 ;19 m
-------------------------------------------
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256 AU. MAG is the visual magnitude of the asteroid on the date of closest approach.

IMO Video Meteor Database updated 29JAN09

The latest edition of the IMO Video Meteor Database to our homepage has been updated http://www.imonet.org/database.html.
The PosDat files now contain 420,468 single station meteors recorded in 3,182 observing nights and 95,553 hours of effective observing time between 1993/01/02 and 2008/12/31.
A little anecdote:
When the PosDat format was invented, a three letter index was considered sufficient to link meteors in the data file to observing sessions in the header file. After all, that makes up for 26^3=17,576 observing sessions.
Well, by Dec 2008 we had collected 17,498 sessions (one session per camera and night) and got to the index ZWZ. When writing this we will have jumped over the three three letter limit, and next time I will have to use both letter and digits. That gives me a total of 36^3=46,656 header entries which should be sufficient for the next 2~3 years. ;-)
Sirko Molau
Abenstalstr. 13b
D-84072 Seysdorf
Germany

27 January 2009

Meteor Activity Outlook for January 24-30, 2009

January sees a peak of sporadic activity for the southern hemisphere while rates seen north of the equator begin a steady downward turn that continues throughout the first half of the year. The sporadic activity is good for both hemispheres, but not as good as it was for northern observers in December. Once the Quadrantids have passed the shower activity for January is very quiet. During this period the moon reaches it new phase on Monday January 26th. At this time the moon lies in the vicinity of the sun and is invisible at night. Late next week the waxing crescent moon appears in the evening sky but sets soon after the end of twilight. Thus there is no lunar interference during this period. The estimated total hourly rates for evening observers this week is near two no matter your location. For morning observers the estimated total hourly rates should be near ten for those located in the mid-northern hemisphere (45 N) and twelve for those viewing from the mid-southern hemisphere (45 S). Locations between these two extremes would see activity between the listed figures. These rates assume that you are watching from rural areas away from all sources of light pollution. The actual rates will also depend on factors such as personal light and motion perception, local weather conditions, alertness and experience in watching meteor activity.
The radiant positions and rates listed below are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning January 24/25. These positions do not change greatly day to day so the listed coordinates may be used during this entire period. Most star atlases (available at science stores and planetariums) will provide maps with grid lines of the celestial coordinates so that you may find out exactly where these positions are located in the sky. A planisphere or computer planetarium program is also useful in showing the sky at anytime of night on any date of the year. Activity from each radiant is best seen when it is positioned highest in the sky, either due north or south along the meridian, depending on your latitude. It must be remembered that meteor activity is rarely seen at the radiant position. Rather they shoot outwards from the radiant so it is best to center your field of view so that the radiant lies at the edge and not the center. Viewing there will allow you to easily trace the path of each meteor back to the radiant (if it is a shower member) or in another direction if it is a sporadic. Meteor activity is not seen from radiants that are located below the horizon. The positions below are listed in a west to east manner in order of right ascension (celestial longitude). The positions listed first are located further west therefore are accessible earlier in the night while those listed further down the list rise later in the night.The following showers are expected to be active this week:The wide Antihelion (ANT) radiant is now centered at 09:12 (138) +15. This area of the sky lies on the Leo/Cancer border, twelve degrees northwest of the first magnitude Regulus (Alpha Leonis). This radiant is best placed near 0100 LST, when it lies on the meridian and is located highest in the sky. Due to the large size of this radiant, any meteor radiating from Cancer or western Leo could be a candidate for this shower. Rates at this time should be near three per hour as seen from the northern hemisphere and two per hour for observers located south of the equator. With an entry velocity of 30km/sec., the average Antihelion meteor would be of medium-slow speed.Later next week the Alpha Centaurids (ACE) become active from a radiant located at 12:56 (194) -55. This area of the sky is located in southern Centaurus, six degrees southeast of the second magnitude star Gamma Centauri. Current rates would be less than one shower member per hour. These meteors are best seen near 0500 local standard time when the radiant lies highest above the horizon. This shower is not visible north of 35 degrees north latitude and also poorly seen in the northern tropics. The southern hemisphere offers a much better view of this activity as the radiant lies much higher in the southern sky. Those located at high southern latitudes will actually encounter morning twilight before the radiant reach esculmination. At 56 km/sec. the Alpha Centaurids will usually produce meteors of swift velocity.The last remnants of the Coma Berenicids (COM) will be seen this week from a radiant located at 13:00 (195) +16. This area of the sky is located in southeastern Coma Berenices, two degrees southwest of the fourth magnitudes tar Alpha Comae Berenices. These meteors are best seen near 0500 LST when the radiant lies highest above the horizon. Rates should currently be 30">less than one per hour no matter your location. At 64 km/sec. the Coma Berenicids will usually produce meteors of swift velocity. As seen from the mid-northern hemisphere (45N) one would expect to see approximately thirteen Sporadic meteors per hour during the last hour before dawn as seen from rural observing sites. Evening rates would be near two per hour. As seen from the mid-southern hemisphere (45S), morning rates would be near fifteen per hour as seen from rural observing sites and three per hour during the evening hours. Locations between these two extremes would see activity between the listed figures.The table below presents a summary of the expected activity this week. Rates and positions are exact for Saturday night/Sunday morning but may be used all week.
Antihelion (ANT) - 09:12 (138) +15 Velocity -30km/sec.
Hourly Rates - Northern Hemisphere - 3
Southern Hemisphere - 2
Alpha Centaurids (ACE) 12:56 (194) -55 Velocity - 56km/sec.
Hourly Rates - Northern Hemisphere - <1> (COM) 13:00 (195) +16 Velocity - 64km/sec.
Hourly Rates - Northern Hemisphere - <1
http://www.amsmeteors.org/showers.html#X2009
Clear Skies!
Robert Lunsford American Meteor Society

Impact Craters-Free PDF Files of GSA Fieldguides

The chapters of the following GSA field guides can downloaded freely as PDf files for an unknown period of time. Some chapters, which deal with impact craters are:

1. The Jeptha Knob cryptoexplosion structure, Kentuckyby C. Ronald Seeger, Centennial Field Guide Volume 6
http://www.gsajournals.org/archive/0-8137-5406-2/6/0/pdf/i0-8137-5406-2-6-0-17.pdf

2. The Calvin 28 cryptoexplosive disturbance, Cass County, Michigan by Randall L. Milstein, Centennial Field Guide Volume 3
http://www.gsajournals.org/archive/0-8137-5403-8/3/0/pdf/i0-8137-5403-8-3-0-315.pdf

3. The Kentland Dome, Indiana: A structural anomalyby Raymond C. Gutschick, Centennial Field Guide Volume 3
http://www.gsajournals.org/archive/0-8137-5403-8/3/0/pdf/i0-8137-5403-8-3-0-337.pdf

4. Meteor Crater, Arizona by Eugene M. Shoemaker, Centennial Field Guide Volume 2 http://www.gsajournals.org/archive/0-8137-5402-X/2/0/pdf/i0-8137-5402-X-2-0-399.pdf

Many other PDF files for these field guides can be found at:

Centennial Field Guide Volume 1, Cordilleran Section of the Geological Society of America ISBN:
0-8137-5401-1
http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-specialpub-toc&isbn=0-8137-5401-1

Centennial Field Guide Volume 2 Rocky Mountain Section of the Geological Society of America ISBN: 0-8137-5402-X
http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-specialpub-toc&isbn=0-8137-5402-X

Centennial Field Guide Volume 3 North-Central Section of the Geological Society of America ISBN: 0-8137-5403-8
http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-specialpub-toc&isbn=0-8137-5403-8

Centennial Field Guide Volume 4 South-Central Section of the Geological Society of America ISBN: 0-8137-5404-6
http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-specialpub-toc&isbn=0-8137-5404-6

Centennial Field Guide Volume 5 Northeastern Section of the Geological Society of America ISBN: 0-8137-5405-4
http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-specialpub-toc&isbn=0-8137-5405-4

Centennial Field Guide Volume 6 Southeastern Section of the Geological Society of America ISBN: 0-8137-5406-2
http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-specialpub-toc&isbn=0-8137-5406-2

The links to all of these volumes can be found as links in"Field Guides" at: http://www.gsajournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-collection&coll_title=Field%20Guides

Source: Paul V. Heinrich, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Asteroid 2009 BD 26JAN09
Image credit for coorbital asteroid: NASA


There's a newly-discovered weird asteroid kid on Earth's block, and it's moved in close. Really, really close, in space terms.
Asteroid 2009 BD is cruising by us today at a distance of only about 400,000 miles, according to NASA's Near Earth Object Program. This strange asteroid is estimated to be 5. 7 meters to 13 meters in diameter.
Astronomers will be studying 2009 BD with great interest, because it may be a very rare coorbital asteroid. In 2006, NASA's Dr. Tony Phillips explained how these type of asteroids corkscrew as they move in tandem with Earth:
These asteroids are called Earth Coorbital Asteroids or "coorbitals" for short. Essentially, they share Earth's orbit, going around the Sun in almost exactly one year. Occasionally a coorbital catches up to Earth from behind, or vice versa, and the dance begins: The asteroid, while still orbiting the sun, slowly corkscrews around our planet.
Sometimes, coorbitals hang around for awhile:
2004 GU9 is perhaps the most interesting. It measures about 200 meters across, relatively large. And according to calculations just published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (S. Mikkola et al., 2006) it has been looping around Earth for 500 years--and may continue looping for another 500. It's in a remarkably stable "orbit:.
2009 BD will be in Earth's neighborhood for awhile, giving scientists a change to evaluate it, and its path. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has an applet that shows the asteroid's orbit.
What else is going on in our neck of the woods? Earth's Busy Neighborhood offers a traffic report.
Source: by Patricia Phillips, Space News Examiner

24 January 2009

Massachusetts & Rhode Island Fireball 23JAN09 8:48pm EST


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

------------------------------
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
--------------------------------
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."

IMPACT FIELD STUDIES GROUP NEWS

















****************************************************************
(Sedan Nuclear Test Crater-Nevada)

IFSG UPCOMING FIELDTRIP-NEVADA TESTSITE/ALAMO IMPACT CRATER BRECCIA March 20th, 2009
http://web.eps.utk.edu/~faculty/ifsg.htm
-----------------------------
We've had some successful trips in the past to place such as the Marquez Dome, K-T Boundary, and the Sierra Madera impact structures.
This year, we're going to take a slightly different type of field trip -- to the Nevada Test Site to visit nuclear explosion craters!
This email is our first announcement for this year's Impact Field Studies Group (IFSG) field trip to the Nevada Test Site (and possible optional trip to the Alamo Breccia).
This low cost, pre-LPSC day trip will be based out of Las Vegas, Nevada and will occur Friday, March 20th, 2009.
Registration this year will be tight. If you're interested, you must let me know by FEBRUARY 5.
This trip will be unlike the others in that security clearance is required in order to attend. For citizens of the U.S. and "non-sensitive" countries, the security clearance process is relatively simple. For IFSG members from "sensitive" countries, it is a bit more involved.
So if you'd like to go, please let me know ASAP. The maximum number of participants that we can have on this trip is 40. So first come, first security clearance -- first serve.
Keith A. Milam, PhD
Department of Geological Sciences
Ohio University
316 Clippinger Laboratories
Athens, Ohio 45701
email: "Keith Milam"milaml@ohio.edu

23 January 2009

Results of the IMO Video Meteor Network - December 2008


Results of the IMO Video Meteor Network -
December 2008 reported by Sirko Molau reported http://www.imonet.org/reports/200812.html

Italian Fireball on Dec 20, 2008, at 21:06:20 UT.

Video of Italian meteor on Dec 20, 2008, at 21:06:20 UT. =========================================================
A very successful year 2008 petered out with a meager December. In the first half of the month, there was reasonable weather at hardly any site, such that the Geminids did not only became a victim of the Moon, but also of the clouds. Only western Germany enjoyed clear skies in the maximum nights. In the second half of December, the weather slowly improved. So there were already a few more observers who caught the Ursid maximum. From Christmas on, the weather became close to perfect at many sites, so that the statistics improved a bit towards the end. Finally there were at least three cameras who managed to get more than 20 observing nights. The monthly total for December was nearly 2,300 hours effective observing time and more than 10,000 meteors.
Last month, we could once more welcome a new observer in the camera network, whom I was especially happy about. With Klaas Jobse, a real "veteran" of video meteor observation found his way to us. Five years before I constructed my first meteor camera, Klaas was already recording meteors by video in the Netherlands with BETSY1. His current system BETSY2 utilizes the same powerful image intensifier as AVIS2 and OND1. So it comes as no surprise, that Klaas managed to get nearly a thousand video meteors from scratch using the perfect weather at the end of 2008.
Let's now have a look at the biggest showers of December. As mentioned before,the Geminids could hardly be observed in 2008. In the IMO Video MeteorDatabase, however, they are the third strongest shower with more than 12,000 members. According to the latest edition of the IMO handbook for meteor observers, they are active between December 7 and 17, reaching their maximum at December 13. In the current video data analysis, the shower was clearly detected between December 5 and 18. The position of the Geminid radiant agrees well with the value from literature (http://www.imonet.org/reports/20081201.gif), only the drift direction differs slightly. The calculated velocity of 35 km/s is identical to the value given in the handbook. The long-term activity profile of the Geminids (http://www.imonet.org/reports/20081202.gif) has an asymmetric shape witha moderate ascent until the maximum on December 13/14, followed by a steep descent. Three days after the maximum the shower is hardly detectable anymore.
A few days before Christmas is the time of the Ursids. This year, we had at least in Italy and Portugal clear skies, such that the maximum on December 21/22 could be covered by seven cameras. The activity profile resulting from 164 Ursids and 200 sporadics is given in figure: http://www.imonet.org/reports/20081203.gif. The Ursid counts were determined in one hour intervals, corrected by the radiant altitude, and averaged overall cameras. For comparison, the hourly sporadic rate is given. The activity of the Ursids was rising up to the maximum between 2 and 3 UT on December 22,thereafter it was declining again. As expected, the sporadic activityincreased steadily towards the morning. Figure http://www.imonet.org/reports/20081204.gif gives a comparison of the Ursids in 2008 and the previous two years, whereby the activity was plotted against the solar longitude. It is obvious that the activity level in 2008 was lower than in the two years before.What do we learn from the video meteor database about the Ursids? Accordingto the IMO handbook, they are active between December 17 to 26. This agrees well with the activity interval December 16 to 25 derived from 750 video Ursids. Due to the lower meteor number, the radiant drift(http://www.imonet.org/reports/20081205.gif) is not as well determined as for major showers. Still, the radiant is on average close to the expected position, and also the determined velocity of 32 km/s agrees well with thevalue from the IMO handbook (33 km/s).The long-term activity profile (http://www.imonet.org/reports/20081206.gif) reveals, that the Ursids are reasonably active in only a very short interval,which confirms the observation from the last two years. The two degrees insolar longitude is an upper limit, because the maximum is smeared out when sliding intervals of two degrees length are used.Let finally have a look at the Coma-Berenicids, which are active in December,too. The current edition of the IMO handbook points to a significant discrepancy between the radiant position published earlier and the results from a first video data analysis in 2006. Could that result be confirmed by the current analysis based on 2,300 shower meteors? On the first glimpse, the observed radiant position seems to match well to the values from the old handbook (http://www.imonet.org/reports/20081207.gif). A closer inspection, however, reveals an offset of about 17 days. On January 6, for example, the radiant is observed at a position given for December 20 according to the old ephemeris. In other words, the radiant is off by 15 degrees (or one hour) in the north western direction. The activity interval, on the other hand, agrees well with the value from literature.The handbook lists an interval of December 12 till January 23 (with amaximum near December 20), whereas the radiant was well observed between December 9 and January 27 in the video data. Also the calculated velocity(64 km/s) is in good agreement with the handbook (65 km/s). Figure http://www.imonet.org/reports/20081208.gif shows the activity profilederived from the video data. The maximum on December 20 is confirmed,whereby the profile is less pronounced than that of other showers. The peak ZHR of five given in the IMO handbook does not seem to be reached. For comparison, the profile derived from visual data (based on the old radiant position) is given with blue dots. Up to a solar longitude of 275 degrees,both profiles agree well. Thereafter there are larger discrepancies. Let's now have an overview of the record year 2008, in which 24 observers (2007: 22) from 10 countries (2007: 9) contributed to the camera network withoverall 37 camera systems (2007: 30). Most of the stations of the IMO network are still located along a north south axis in Central Europe (Germany, Slovenia, Italy), but the situation improves also in other regions. Due to the extention of the camera network, we could collect more data than ever. Thanks to the leap year, we got an unbeaten 366 (2007: 364) observing nights, in which almost 23,000 observing hours (2007: 17,000) could be collected. The average number of meteors per hour (4.0) decreased once more(2007: 4.4). One reason is, that most cameras joining the network are unintensified. In addition, most major showers of 2008 became a victim ofthe weather or the Moon. Still, we could record more than 92,000 meteors (2007: 75,000). For the first time, we managed to get more than a thousand observing hour seach month. In February and August till December, it was even more than two-thousand hours. The best result of all was achieved in October 2008 with 2,750 hours of effective observing time and more than 17,000 meteors. Eight observers (2007: 6) managed to get more than 200 observing nights in 2008. With 336 nights, Sirko Molau was again on top of the list, improving his own record from 2007 by 12 nights. Javor Kac, Joerg Strunk, Carl Hergenrother and Bernd Brinkmann all got about 250 nights. Note that Carl joined the network only in March. Furthermore, all peak performers besides Carl and Bernd operated more than one camera. The results for each observerare given in the next table, whereby the number of cameras and stations refers to the main time of year. ==============================================================
Let's have a look at the ten most successful video systems. REMO1 in Ketzuerand MINCAM1 in Seysdorf were again on top. They are followed by SALSA in Tucson, which will probably take over the lead in 2009. The camera with the highest output (AVIS2: 9790 meteors) and "only" 153 nights did not make it to the TOP 10 Cameras. ============================================================== All observations of 2008 are check for consistency and stored in the video meteor database. In a few days time, the data will be made available is PosDat format at http://www.imonet.org/ for free download. At this point, I would like to thank all participants in the IMO networkfor the fine cooperation in 2008. I wish all of us much success in the new year 2009. Written by Sirko Molau www : http://www.molau.de/

21 January 2009

Edmonton, Alberta, CANADA Fireball 21JAN09

ALBERTA FIREBALL SEEN 21JAN09
Just in case there is something going on....just had:
mag -8 to -10 object over southern Alberta tonight 20090121 02:57:14 nice slow 6 seconds, from W to S.
Source: Alister Ling
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

20 January 2009

ANOTHER FIREBALL--OVER CALIFORNIA 19JAN09















************* (Top Right)4th fireball 19JAN09 Larry Stange (c) 2009
(Bottom Left)3rd Fireball Photo Credit: Larry Stange (c)2009

Fourth!!!! FIREBALL OVER CALIFORNIA on 18/19JAN09
Almost all within 24 hours. AMS records multiple sightings on 18JAN09 at 5:33 PM PST, and others on 18JAN09 at 11:26 PM PST, and 19JAN09 at 9:53 PM PST. Now 4!!!

LATEST UPDATE****
19JAN09 2345:48 PST. Another fireball in the same general area but a little higher in altitude, SE to SSW.2 seconds long. Bright but no burst.

http://www.geocities.com/stange34@sbcglobal.net/2009more.html

2153 PST tonight, moments ago. Another big one in the same area. Looks like S.Calif. is a fireball magnet lately, this being the third in one day.

Occuring on Jan 19,2009 at 2153:37 PSTDuration 3 Seconds, Brightness >1/4 moon,Starting Azimuth 127 Degrees, Altitude 32 Degrees,Ending Azimuth 146 Degrees, Altitude 16 Degrees. Website picture & movie on website, right click & then left click for full size. Scaling included.
http://www.geocities.com/stange34@sbcglobal.net/2009more.html?1232433904125
Source: Larry Stange, California, USA
YCSentinel

FIREBALL OVER SW USA

Fireball Seen Over SW United States 19JAN09

The American Meteor Society has received over two dozen reports of a brilliant fireball occurring over southern California. The event occurred at 5:33pm PST on January 18 (01:33 UT Jan 19) and was widely observed over the southern half of California, western Nevada, and western Arizona (including the Phoenix area).There are a wide range of magnitude estimates but we can safely assume this object was at least as bright as the full moon, magnitude -13.Summaries of these reports may be viewed on the AMS website at: http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireball/fireball_log2009.html
See event #42.
Robert Lunsford
--posted on Global Meteor Observing Forum

Another Report 19JAN09:
"Wow, the sky is falling these days! Bob Haag just called me and told me that he just saw about ~1hour ago, a large daylight fireball, headed from south to north, toward Phoenix. I spoke to someone else and an explosion in the sky was observed from North of Phoenix, looking south. This was still daylight, so it seems to be rather large. We will see what turns up on this one, bu no ocean to fall into here!"
Michael Farmer, Tucson, Arizona, USA

18 January 2009

Fireball over Sweden 17JAN09

Video of 17JAN09 Scandinavian Fireball:

http://www.spaceweather.com/glossary/images2009/Svensson1.mpg


Reports from Sweden:

Here's some more links to the bolide seen over southern Sweden Saturday night 08.06 PM: http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article4204952.ab
http://www.thelocal.se/16990/20090118/
A witness (according to the Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan) said it looked like a giant welding flame rapidly travelling from North East towards South West. The obseration was done about 100 km East of Copenhagen.
Strangely, I haven't seen any reports of noise or booms connected to the event. Although living in the southern part of Sweden (about 200> km NNE of Copenhagen), I missed the event :(
Source: Thomas Österberg


Video of Fireball:
http://www.expressen.tv/KVP/1.1435804/se-himlafenomenet-har

Video Credits: Roger Svensson lyckades filma ljusfenomenet. Foto: Läsarbild/Roger Svensson

Original Article: http://www.expressen.se/Nyheter
Expressen.tv/Expressen Newspaper, Sweden 18JAN09

TV: Spektakulärt fenomen lyste upp Sydsverige
Ett spektakulärt himlafenomen över södra Sverige på lördagskvällen fick oroliga människor att ringa ner både polis och SOS Alarm. - Det var ett stort klot som for fram över en grönfärgad himmel, berättar Christopher Tunner.
Ljusfenomenet uppenbarade sig strax efter klockan 20 och varade inte mer än tre-fyra sekunder.- Jag har aldrig sett något liknande, jag blev alldeles kall, säger Christopher som observerade fenomenet från sin bil i Kvarnby utanför Malmö.

"Skrämmande"
Himlafenomenet observerades från Skåne och ända upp till Norrköping.- Jag och min granne stod ute när vi plötsligt fick se ett jättelikt rödblått klot med en flera kilometer lång eldsvans som for fram över himlen, berättar Monica Engström från Landvetter utanför Göteborg.- Det var en skrämmande upplevelse, en känsla av att nu kommer det att hända något förfärligt. Det hördes ingenting och sedan var det plötsligt borta.Lennart Honnér i Bunkeflostrand utanför Malmö beskriver fenomenet på ett annat sätt.- Det var ett intensivt ljust sken som pulserade över himlen mot sydväst under några sekunder. Det lyste upp hela himlavalvet.

"Ganska ovanligt"
SOS Alarm fick in ett stort antal samtal om ljusfenomenet under kvällen.- Vi har fått uppringningar från hela Skåne, säger driftsledaren Ola Nilsson. Observationerna skiljer sig något beroende på varifrån man ringt. En del har sett ett blått ljus, andra har sett något falla ner från himlen.- Vi kontaktade flygräddningen i Göteborg, men där visste man inte heller vad det handlade om.Gunnar Larsson-Leander är professor emeritus i astronomi vid Lunds universitet.- Tyvärr missade jag själv fenomenet, men beskrivningarna tyder på att det var en stor meteor som kom in i atmosfären och brann upp, säger han. Att de är så här ljusstarka är ganska ovanligt.- Det kan också ha varit en del av en satellit som störtat mot jorden, men det är mindre troligt.

"Ytterst sällsynt"
Det kan hända att en meteor är så stor att den inte hinner brinna upp utan faller mot jorden.- Då talar vi om en katastrof, säger Gunnar Larsson-Leander. Men eftersom det inte har kommit några rapporter om någon nedslagsplats så har den med största sannolikhet brunnit upp.Även Peter Linde - ordförande i astronomiska sällskapet Tycho Brahe, som har ett observatorium i Oxie utanför Malmö - lutar åt en meteor.- Det är ytterst sällsynt med så ljusstarka meteorer, så det grämer mig att jag missade fenomenet. Det händer kanske en gång var tionde år på varje given plats.- Men jag måste säga att det här var en bra början på det internationella astronomiåret som inleddes i Globen i onsdags.

Report From Holland:

This appears to be definitely the same fireball as seen from Holland last night indeed. Most reports here are from the north of the country (closest to the fireball), but amazingly Klaas Jobse's all sky camera in Zeeland in the southeast of the Netherlands (so several hundreds of km distant from the likely location of the fireball!) captured it very low above the horizon: http://cyclops.klaasjobse.nl/test/jcms/showpic.php?img=362_20090117_1909UT_web_w600h693.jpg
Dutch reports mention a few seconds duration, greenish colours and fragmentation and a brightness of at least -8 if not more. time: 19:10 UTC = 20:10 CET.
Source: Dr Marco (183294) Langbroek
Dutch Meteor Society (DMS)
---------------
In southern Netherlands, at Oostkapelle the Danish bolide was captured via an allsky station from european network. observation place: 51°33'55''N 3°33'03'' E elevation: +1m
Link to the picture:
http://cyclops.klaasjobse.nl/jcms/showpic.phpimg=362_20090117_1909UT_web_w600h693.jpg
Distance between bolide & station is approx. 550 to 580 Km The same bolide was observed from Belgium (observation place: 50°15' 12'' N 5°45'10 E Altitude: +580 m) , magnitude -5, big explosion in 6 to 7 fragments and next lot of fine fire particles.
Distance to bolide: approx 590 Km.
Source V.J. submitted on 21JAN09

REPORTS FROM GERMANY:
German newsmedia report on the same incident:
Lichtblitz über Norddeutschland war möglicherweise
MeteoritRostock (dpa) - Ein greller Lichtblitz hat am Abend den Himmel über weiten Teilen Norddeutschlands erleuchtet. Zahlreiche Augenzeugen berichteten von einem bläulich-grünen Leuchten. Es habe den Himmel für einige Sekunden taghell erfüllt. Auch der Wetterdienst Meteomedia auf der Insel Hiddensee registrierte das Leuchten. Es sei eindeutig keine Wettererscheinung, sondern etwas Astronomisches gewesen, sagte eine Meteorologin. Womöglich sei es ein Meteorit gewesen, der bei Rostock in die Ostsee gefallen war.
© Die Welterschienen am 18.01.2009 um 12:10 Uhr.
Source: Dr. Svend Buhl
Meteorite Recon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The fireball was also seen in the northernpart of Germany.
Here is a small report, in german language:
http://nachrichten.t-online.de/c/17/40/62/72/17406272.html
Source: Carsten Giessler in Germany
------------------------------------------------

FROM POLAND:
It was seen by at least 5 aircraft crews on the way between Hamburg and Berlin. Two visual reports were registered from nothern Poland. Flashes mag. ~ -9.5 recording (CCTVs have seen only sky brightness change) were see near Gdynia (PFN24).
See: http://www.pkim.org/?=pl/node/1095 for details in polish.
Source: Grupa pod wezwaniem
-------------------------------------------------
The Polish Fireball Network also captured the flash of the fireball, but not, as yet, an image of the path. They do have several visual reports. Kamil Zloczewski has kindly provided the above information.

UPDATE FROM GERMANY 18JAN09:
The following report from Germany includes the account of a pressure wave observed from Rostock on the north coast of Germany.
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,601898,00.html
-- David Entwistl, UK

UPDATE FROM GERMANY 19JAN09:
There is an interesting sequence of photos within this article. Also- there is mention of the "bang" which was absent from many other articles.
Mike Groetz--posted on http://www.meteoritecentral.com/
Meteorite-list mailing list

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,602026,00.html
Northern Europe Marvels at Mysterious Blue LightFirst there was a bluish glow, then a bang and a shockwave. Residents across northern Europe marvelled at the mysterious phenomenon, which is believed to have been a meteorite crashing into the Baltic Sea off the coast of northern Germany over the weekend.A mysterious bluish-green flash of light followed by a loud bang alarmed residents across northern Germany, Denmark and southern Sweden on Saturday night and prompted dozens of people to call the police. "There was a dull thunder and I felt pressure in my chest," said one eyewitness in the northern German city of Rostock.

PHOTO GALLERY: MYSTERIOUS BLUE LIGHT SEEN IN NORTHERN EUROPE Click on a picture to launch the image gallery (4 Photos)

Authorities made checks and quickly ruled out the possibility the fireball had been a plane crash. A spokesman for the German Aerospace Center said: "It was probably a meteorite. That at least would explain the shockwave and the bang." A meteorologist for the Meteomedia weather service on the Baltic German island of Hiddensee said: "That definitely wasn't a weather phenomenon, it was something astronomical."Experts said the meteorite probably fell into the Baltic Sea not far from the port city of Rostock.
cro -- with wire reports

FROM SWEDEN 19JAN09
here you can view the video :
http://sydsvenskan.se/
regards, oliver

BBC NEWS 19JAN09
It's even been mentioned today on the main page of BBC News, with a video (it still is at 2050 UTC):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7836656.stm
Best regards,
Yann Kempf, France

UPDATES FROM DENMARK:

Meteor styrtede mod jorden nær Danmark
17-01-09: 22:54 opd. 18-01-09: 17:43 af: Danny Høgsholt

http://vejret.tv2.dk/nyt/article.php/id-19877328.html
Overvågningsbilleder fra Skåne viser meteoren styrte mod jorden.Video: Roger Svensson / Sydsvenskan.se
Kort efter kl. 20 lørdag aften styrtede en meteor mod jorden i nærheden af Danmark. Mere og mere tyder på, at ildkuglen endte i Østersøen.
Indberet din observation til ildkugle.dkModtag Vejrets Nyhedsbrev
Mange danskere havde nok sat sig godt til rette i sofaen lørdag aften for at se de danske håndboldherrer åbne VM mod Brasillien, da de kort før kampstart fik sig noget af en overraskelse ved at kigge ud af vinduet.
Et kraftigt lysglimt oplyste nemlig himlen i et par sekunder omkring kl. 20.10, der godt et minuts tid efter blev fulgt af en lavfrekvent rumlen fra 'det fjerne'. Alt tyder på at der er tale om en meteor.
Endte formentlig i ØstersøenEt overvågningskamera i Skåne fangede meteoren, da den styrtede mod jorden - og meldinger fra Skåne lyder på både et kraftigt lysglimt og et stort brag, meddeler den svenske avis Sydsvenskan.
Som følge af observationerne vuderes det af Tycho Brahe Planetariet, at meteoren bevægede sig henover Blekinge - og sent søndag eftermiddag kunne astrofysiker Michael Linden-Vørnle fortælle, at ildkuglen formentlig endte sit liv over Østersøen syd for Lolland-Falster.

Nåede formentlig ikke at ramme jordenOvervågningsbillederne og diverse observationer indikerer, at meteoren nåede at brænde op inden den ramte jordoverfladen. Det store brag, som blev hørt flere steder i Sydsverige og som i Danmark blev til en rumlen, skyldes formentlig at meteoren brød igennem lydmuren, pga. dens enorme hastighed.
Det er desuden meget sjældent at meteorer på himlen resulterer i deciderede nedslag på jorden. Sidst en meteor blev observeret i Danmark og man samtidig efterfølgende fandt rester af meteoritten på landjorden var i 1951.
Blev observeret flere steder i Danmark.Lysglimtet blev i Danmark observeret flere steder øst for Storebælt - og endda så langt mod vest som til Horsens kunne man kort efter kl. 20 kortvarigt se en oplyst aftenhimmel.
Den tidligere svenske professor i astronomi, Gunnar Larsson-Leander fra Lund Universitet, siger til Sydvenskan, at meteorer er ganske normale, men at det er usædvanligt at de er så lysstærke som tilfældet var lørdag aften.
Ud over i Danmark kunne lysglimtet også ses så langt mod nord som i Göteborg og så langt mod syd som Rostock i Tyskland og i det nordlige Polen. Ifølge Michael Linden-Vørnle begynder meteorer normalt at 'brænde' ca. 100 km over jorden.
MeteoridEt stenobjekt i kredsløb omkring Solen. Er mindre end en asteoride - dvs. typisk mindre end ca. 100 m i diameter.
Meteor (stjerneskud)Meteorid, der trænger ind i Jordens atmosfære, og begynder at 'brænde' under udsendelse af lys.
MeteoritEn meteor, der rammer Jordens overflade.
Populært kaldet stjernskudMeteorer, der populært også kaldes stjerneskud, er klumper af sten af varierende størrelse, der med stor fart trænger ind i Jordens atmosfære. Inden de bremses i Jordens atmosfære kan de opnå en hastighed på ca. 70 kilometer pr. sekund.
Når meteoren trænger ind i atmosfæren bremses den og foran den presses luften sammen med enorm styrke, hvilket opvarmer luften voldsomt. Opvarmingen får meteoren til at fordampe og gløde, hvilket ydermere resulterer i, at den lyser op.
Normalt brænder stenene op i atmosfæren i 'god tid' inden de rammer jorden, men er de store nok kan de nå ned helt ned til jordoverfladen. Når det sker kaldes resterne af meteoren for en 'meteorit'.
Meteorer af den kaliber, som blev observeret lørdag aften, opstår normalt en gang ca. hver femte måned. Men da størstedelen af jorden trods alt er ubeboet, blandt pga. 70% er dækket af vand, og mange meteorer kommer i dagslys, er de ikke ofte stedfæstet.
Har du observeret meteoren?Så du også lysglimtet eller hørte du braget fra meteoren lørdag aften, så kan du hjælpe astronomerne med at kortlægge meteorens bane og potentielle nedslagssted ved at indsende din observation på ildkugle.dk - følg linket i link-boksen til højre.


Meteorbrag skyldes hul i lydmuren
18-01-09: 11:34 af: kris
http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/article.php/id-19882443.html
Mange danskere så og hørte i aftes lyset og det efterfølgende brag fra det, der formentlig er et meteornedslag. Lysglimtet stammer fra meteoren, der brænder op i atmosfæren, mens det store brag, som blev hørt af mange danskere, formentlig skyldes, at meteoren brød igennem lydmuren, pga. dens enorme hastighed.
TV 2 Nyhederne er blevet kontaktet af mange danskere, der troede, at der var tale om et tordenvejr over Danmark.
Når en meteor rammer atmosfæren, sker det med ca. 40-50 km/sekundet.

Meteor slog ned og lyste himlen op
18-01-09: 07:43 opd. 18-01-09: 09:09 af: Danny Høgsholt, kris

http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/article.php/id-19879566.html

Mange danskere havde nok sat sig til rette i sofaen for at se de danske håndboldherrer spille deres første kamp ved VM, da de kort før kampstart fik sig noget en overraskelse ved at kigge ud af vinduet. Et kraftigt lys-glimt oplyste himlen i et par sekunder omkring kl. 20.10, der godt et minuts tid efter blev fulgt af en lavfrekvent rumlen fra 'det fjerne'. Der er med stor sandsynlighed tale om en meteor.
Et overvågningskamera i Skåne fangede meteoren, da den styrtede mod jorden - og meldinger fra Skåne lyder på både et kraftigt lysglimt og et stort brag.
I følge observationerne vuderes det af Tycho Brahe Planetariet, at meteoren bevægede sig henover Blekinge.
Ramte nok ikke jordenOvervågningsbillederne og diverse observationer indikerer dog, at meteoren lige akkurat nåede at 'brænde op' i atmosfæren inden den nåede jorden. Meteorens møde med atmosfæren forårsagede ifølge astrofysiker Michael Linden-Vørnle det brag, som mange danskere hørte efter lysglimtet.
Der er endnu heller ikke fundet noget eventuelt nedslagssted fra meteoren.
Det er da også ganske sjældent at meteorer på himlen resulterer i nedslag på jorden. Sidst en meteor blev observeret i Danmark og man samtidig efterfølgende fandt rester af meteoritten på landjorden var i 1951.

Så du meteoren?
18-01-09: 10:37 opd. 18-01-09: 14:22 af: 1234 Dine Nyheder kommentarer (41) Skriv kommentar
En meteor sendte i aftes et lysglimt hen over den østlige del af Danmark.
Hvordan oplevede du glimtet? Fortæl din beretning eller send dit billede til 1234.
Her er de første reaktioner fra danskerne:

Marianne Cornelius, Idestrup:"Min veninde min søn og jeg sidder og ser håndbold ca.kl. 2015 kommer der et voldsomt lys over det hele vi går ud for at se hvad det var og hører så en underlig rumlen der blev ved et godt stykke tid ! Det var ikke torden det lød nærmest som en bombe."
Morten Skov, Nysted på Lolland:"Vi oplevede det som et blændede lys der oplyste alt udenfor efterfulgt af en høj langtrukken buldrende lyd , nærmest som en flok Harley motorcykler der passerede. Da jeg åbnede et vindue spurgte min hustru om det var torden, hvortil jeg svarede jeg ikke vidste det og ikke kunne lokalisere lyden."
Palle Nielsen, Aabenraa:"Min kæreste og jeg var i går aftes på vej hjem til Åbenrå fra familie fest i Bjerringbro, og vi blev lidt forvirret da vi kom kørende imellem brædstrup og horsens ad hovedvej 52, da vi så et voldsomt blåt lysglimt, der varede ca 2 til 3 sekunder, vi troede umiddelbart at det var udrykningskøretøjer, men det kunne jo ikke passe, da lysglimtet var så kraftig og så kort, og nærmest som en kæmpe eksplotion på himlen, vi ved ikke om der kan være tale om den til morgen omtalte meteor, på TV 2 News, vi så det mellem 20.00 og 20.15 lørdag aften."
Jette Ibsen, Væggerløse"Vi bor på Marielyst på Falster, da vi pludselig så et kraftigt lysglimt, efterfulgt af et stort brag, som kunne høres som en rumlen i ca 30 sek. ude i horisonten."
Annette og Maria Persson, Næstved:"Omkring ved 20.00 tiden lørdag aften sad jeg inde i stuen min datter var på badeværelset. Så et stort lysklimt på himlen/som om det var tordenvejr. Så kom braget. Min datter så det samme fra badeværelset. Undrede mig meget, da den stod på minus 2 grader og så torden. På tv gik jeg over til tv2 news for at afvente nærmere. Der gik cirka 1 1/2 time hvor nyheden om Metoeren i Skåne."
Lotte Bøg, Ørbæk"Vi oplevede et kæmpelysglimt efterfulgt af bulder himlen blev meget oplyst det var så vi lettede os fra sofaen og undrede os over hvad der var sket? jeg tænkte lige først om det var en kæmpe eksplosion, men da da ikke skete mere tænkte jeg ikke over mere."
Henrik Jessen, Polen:"Jeg arbejder i Polen, hvor jeg har ansvaret for Arla Foods produktionsaktiviteter. Jeg er bosiddende i Kolobrzeg,som ligger mellem Gdansk og Stettin. I går aftes kl. ca. 20.08 observerede jeg en meteor. Jeg observerede følgende: Himlen blev oplyst i hvidt lys, derefter så jeg (meget højt på himlen) en meteor i lilla/violet/hvidt lys, i en meget stejl bane. Min observation var i vest, nordvest."
Regitza Schmidt, Ålsgårde:"Vi bor i Ålsgårde, sad i vort TV-rum - der ligger mod syd op mod Hellebækskoven - og så åbningen af det ny koncerthus. Pludselig så vi noget og kiggede på hinanden og udbrød: Hvad var det? Det lignede en mellemting mellem et kæmpelyn og en krysantemum-bombe, der oplyste så skovens træer stod som silhuet."
Simone Thelin Dalsgaard, Frederiksværk:"Jeg er en pige på 12 år. Jeg bor i Frederiksværk. Vi sad i går aftes og jeg ville se håndbold med familien og sad i sofaen som står, så jeg kan kigge ud af vores terrassedør med udsigt til himlen. Jeg siger så til min far at det lyner derude, men jeg syntes godt nok det var et mærkeligt lyn, ikke som lyn plejer at være. Jeg oplevede det som et stort lysglimt som lyste hele himlen op og faldt helt hvidt ned.
Thomas Skovbæk Pedersen, Silkeborg:"Jeg kørte i går aftes, i et skov område ved Kongensbro på vej til silkeborg, ved en lidt over 20 tiden, da jeg kommer kørende blev himlen lige pludslig meget meget oplyst i en blålig farve, som varede ca. 3 sek. og så forsvandt lyset igen."
Lasse Thalund Kristensen, Hodsager:"Jeg var ude og gå med min hund da hele himlen blev blåligt oplyst. Først troede jeg det var et lyn fordi det var helt overskyet, men der kom intet brag selvom hele himlen var oplyst i en 2-3 sekunder."
Anna Marie Sørensen, Hadsund:Vil lige gøre opmærksom på at vi er nogle stykker i Jylland som også så "lyset" fra meteoren i aftes. Vi troede dog at det var en forsinket nytårsraket. Da vi så "lyset" befandt vi os lidt nord for Hadsund."
Anonym, Holbæk:"I går aftes så mig og min ven et flot billede over nattehimlen. Jeg har prøvet at tegne det vi så, så godt som jeg kunne. Det var rigtig smukt og fyldte ca. 1/4 af himlen og det hele var lydløst. Det varede ca. 2 sek. så var det slut."
Bo Birgersted, Bogø:"og så lige nyhederne om meteoren... Bor på Bogø og var meget tydelig herfra...."
Mikael Adelberg, Hundested:"Ved 20 tiden skulle jeg køre min datter, Malene, hjem til hendes veninde, Nanna, da de havde aftalt at sove sammen. Vi bor i Hundested og kører syd på mod Lynæs, da lysglimtet kommer. Det virker som et lyn fra et tordenvejr der nærmer i det fjerne. Det var for kraftigt til, at det kunne være fyrværkeri, for det oplyste det meste af horisonten gennem skyerne mod syd op til en vinkel på ca. 45 grader."
René og Natalie Munch Kjær, Herfølge:Vi kom kørende i Herfølge ned af Tessebøllevej efter et besøg af farbror og lillebror og vi kørte omkring kl. 20.10 og stoppede bilen da himlen oplyste som et kæmpe fyrværkeri med grønt skær, det varede i ca. 5 sekunder og så var det væk. Dette var yderst skræmmende og vi sad og jokede med at det måtte være et kosmisk angreb fra det ydre rum."
Irene og Dan Jensen, Barrit:"Vi så nyhederne her kl. 12, at der var set en meteor i skåne området i går ved 20 tiden. Det giver os svar på hvad det var for et stort blåligt lysglimt vi så på himlen ved 20 tiden, da vi kørte i bil ved Sejet, en lille by få kilometer syd for Horsens. Så her kunne det altså også ses.
Thomas Rath, Slangerup:Jeg bor i Slangerup i Nordsjælland. Ved 20 tiden kiggede jeg tilfældigt ud af vinduet da jeg så nogle kraftige blå blink. Jeg troede det var politiet der kørte gennem gaden, men det var alt for kraftigt til at kunne være udrykningslys. Så da jeg så nyhederne her til morgen blev jeg opmærksom på at det nok har været lyset fra meteoren jeg har set."
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There's a nice news report, in English, from the Copenhagen Post Online mentioning the sonic boom and the number of reports filed.
http://www.cphpost.dk/news/scitech/92-technology/44478-weekend-meteor-very-unusual.html
David Entwistle, UK --Thank you David for the two leads on the Danish reports!
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Re: Swedish fireball 2009 01 17 19:08 UT
Not sure if you've heard this, but there's a recording of the sonic boom here:http://geologi.snm.ku.dk/nyheder_gm/nyhed190109/bovedy.wav
Linked from here:http://geologi.snm.ku.dk/nyheder_gm/nyhed190109/
Best wishes,-- David Entwistle, UK

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VLF_Group · Natural Radio VLF Discussion Group
Update Added 26JAN09
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/VLF_Group/message/11441

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Infra Sound Detectors IRF- Indicate Two Large Bolides over Scandinavia and Barents Sea 15JAN09

Apparently, two large bolides have entered the atmosphere over Scandinavia and Barents Sea in a matter of two days in mid January! According to a recent newsletter from the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF), an even larger event took place January 15, over Barents Sea, in an area between Spitz Bergen and Norway. Rick McGregor at IRF, would like to suggest a connection between the two fireballs and the Delta Cancrid- meteor trail.

See: http://www.irf.se/Topical/Other/?newsid=7&group=P2

Below you can find some information regarding the Swedish-Finnish network of Infra Sound Detectors IRF uses to track incoming meteors and re-entering rockets over Northern Scandinavia. http://www.umea.irf.se/iltserie/
Source: Thomas Österberg reported on 22JAN09