Meteorite confirmed...landed on road in Washington state

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 12:26 pm

Amateur video from Kelowna BC captured the fireball, just shown on noon news as a very bright light at the horizon, followed quickly by a large flash, likely due to impact.

The Washington state road may now have as many potholes as our roads this time of year.

http://www.spaceweather.com/
Thanks to Steve for the above interesting link.

Barb

Barrie · Post by **Barrie** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:13 pm

Yes Barb ... I did see it this morning while driving to work. What I saw was really the last of it, a bright flash, like a transformer blowing. By the time I got to work, a Bellingham radio station was already fielding calls about it.
So that's two in total I've seen in my lifetime. The first was in 1966 (I believe) in London Ontario Canada. I was walking down the street alone (somethings kids don't/can't do anymore) and a brightly lit sphere with a sparkily trail behind it lit the daytime sky, fairly low over the horizon. It must have landed in the vicinity and I wonder if there's an archive of it somewhere?

Cheers, Barrie.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 4:32 pm

Barrie, how cool you saw it--and the one in 1966.
Must've been really bright to see it with the naked eye in daylight.

Well, make sure you're watching the (I believe southwest)sky tomorrow (Wed).
Doubt we'll see them blow that satellite out of the sky, but since it's on a lunar eclipse night, who knows?

This seems to be THE meteor/asteroid/etc. site: http://www.spaceweather.com/
Maybe search their archives if they have data for 1966.

Cool stuff...as long as they are small and land in the ocean!
Barb
Here's text.

SPY-SAT UPDATE: Rumor has it that the US Navy may make its first attempt to hit USA 193 this Wednesday evening as the satellite passes over the Pacific Ocean. An air traffic advisory warns pilots to avoid a patch of ocean near Maui from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Hawaii time on Feb. 20th (0230 - 0500 UT, Feb. 21st). This would center the missile strike on the darkness of Wednesday's lunar eclipse and possibly render reentering debris visible from the west coast of North America. [comment]

Until the satellite is shot down, it remains visible to sky watchers who know when to look. Amateur astronomer Dan Bush photographed USA-193 last night as it passed over Albany, Missouri

Laaz · Post by **Laaz** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:01 pm

Wait until Thursday night when we try to blow up the satellite, god knows where the debris will land....

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:12 pm

Todd,
it never occurred to me that the Navy might MISS it !
then what?

Nowhere do I see WHEN this thing might crash.
or WHERE.
Barb

Barrie · Post by **Barrie** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:15 pm

Gee Barb ... I'll be at work (again) and either way it's supossed to be overcast and daylight anyway, so seeing the satellite explode is unlikely. Would be nice to see some space fireworks

Cheers, Barrie.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:23 pm

Hi Barrie,
that work thing sure gets in the way, doesn't it? ...

Maybe I read the time zone thing wrong, but for us on Pacific Time,
somewhere after 5 or 6 PM Thursday. not a.m.

I've read so much "breaking news" today, can't remember if that's the
lunar eclipse viewing time or when they're killing the satellite...

jeez, a meteorite crashes, frog fossil the size of a bowling ball is found in Madagascar, strange dinosaur fossils found in Sahara, carbon tax levied by OUR province's government...I'm bloody exhausted!

If I'm very lucky, I'll be sitting in my lawnchair, drinking a beer, get hit by satellite debris...but won't have to pay any carbon tax!

G'nite.
Barb

Barrie · Post by **Barrie** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:26 pm

I hear you Barb ... What the hell are these clowns thinking of ... "Carbon Tax" ??? Great, another tax. Oh ya ... and to be offset by a $100 dollar check

That check might cover a quarter of the $100 rebate each of us get. They must think we're all morons. Are they applying the remainder to some sort of environmental cause or the tab for Finance Minister Carole Taylor's new shoes?

Cheers, Barrie.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:49 pm

I am old enough now to be dead against anything NEW and not apologize for that.
At first glance, a carbon tax will hurt only the working people, because they're the only ones paying for it.
Their salaries erode little by little, but constantly.
Industry can write the costs off...they even can qualify for "carbon trading"...disgusting principle!

Two-and-a-half cents on top of current gas prices...man, do you know the average commute for people?
And the reason they have to drive so far is because government still hasn't put rapid transit in places where it should.
To think that a city the size of Vancouver (in area) has two...count 'em, two lanes in each direction on the number one highway in and out...that's laughable in North America.

The rich aren't affected in the slighest.
The corporations apparently will be paying more, until they find some lobbyist to silently whittle away at gov't.

Maybe we should send an invoice to government, as follows:

For all the plants I grow that consume carbon dioxide = "x" dollars
For all the plants I grow that produce oxygen = "x" dollars
For my pond "x" ft. by "x" ft. that absorbs CO2 = "x" dollars

Now THAT would be fair play...just think how we'd all work hard to get these "proper" credits.

Barb

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:50 pm

sorry that satellite missile thingy is WEDNESDAY not Thursday!

Laaz · Post by **Laaz** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:06 am

Yes you are right.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/02/1 ... newssearch

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:50 am

With that "dangerous stuff" in the tanks, why do they want it to re-enter the atmosphere...why not blow it up before it enters the atmosphere, and let the dangerous stuff "dissipate" in space (if that word can be used at all). Why place anyone on earth at risk to breathing that crap?

Barb