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Sunday, November 22, 2009

Meteor "Shower" Sighting: 21 November at 11h00 SAST

Image:Russ Bowden

The SAWDIS received the following two SMS messages from members of the public:

"11h37 - (21 November 2009) I just saw an amazing meteor over Pretoria. I have never seen anything that huge before."

"08h58 - (22 November 2009) Morning did anyone else see the meteor burning last night 11 o clock in the north?" Jacques du Toit

Any members of the public that can confirm or even better provide images of the meteor sighting towards the north last night at around 11h00 SAST?

Eyewitness News Report:

"Johannesburg and Pretoria residents have come forward, claiming they spotted a meteor in the skies on Saturday night. People in Gauteng saw the bright light at around 11pm on Saturday night, heading towards the north of Pretoria "We saw this big green ball of fire. it kind of came out of the sky, out of the blue," one resident said. "There was sudden flash. Like an orange stripe in the sky, followed by a very bright explosion where the sky lit up as if it was daytime," another explained. Astronomers and scientists are still trying to find out where the meteor landed. Ronnie McKenzie collects meteorites and said something like this is very rare. "I would say it probably happens around two or three times a year around the world," he said.

Some comments of witnesses:

I did see the meteor last night..absolutely amazing as it changed colour from orange to green through the atmosphere. We were at Voodoo Lounge in Linksfield and saw the meteor over Pretoria way. It appeared to have burnt out before impact with the ground, but I could be mistaken. It would have made a fantastic photograph.

saw the lights last night at 22.57 in centurion pta. 4 of us saw it. dim green, then a very bright green flash lighting up the sky to daylight, then dim green again. silent. could not hear a bang or impact. over in about 1 sec. most amazing sight ever and very unexpected.

Received the following comment via email:

Saw the most amazing thing last night around 11pm, when a (presume) meteorite entered the sky NNE of Pretoria....extremely bright/wide, blue-grey, light streak several km long before it disappeared and then lit-up the clouds in orange (assume impact). must have been 100km+ NNW of Pretoria. from start to finish - less then 3 sec.
Marius van Dyk

A few friends and I were having a few drinks outside on their stoep in Willow Ridge when we saw the sky light up. It was a huge bulb at the bottom, after which the entire sky lit up almost as bright as daylight. I imagined I saw green and blue colours, while others from the other side of the house claimed it came from that side and was orange and red.

Unfortunately we couldn't get any pictures as it was over very quickly, but it was breathtaking.

Via Email:

Saw meteor shortly after 11pm in Shayandima, sky turned to day followed by green flash. Immediately after saw bright orange fires on nearby hill close to Thohoyandou.
Andrew Gerber

Received from Dan at Venetia Game Reserve near Polokwane:
Was sitting outside with a couple of others around 11pm having a last beer before bed by the fire when all of a sudden the sky started to light up and within 5 seconds or so the whole sky was alight as though it was midday. We all looked at each other in utter confusion as it was as though the sun had come up again. As it started to go dark again we looked up and saw a streak of flame right across the sky as a huge meteor had passed directly overhead. We all stared in amazement and felt our heart beating so fast. Then around a minute or so later as we were calming down there was a massive explosion as though a bomb had gone off right next to camp and a deep rumbling. The rumbling got louder and louder and we could feel the ground shuddering beneath us. I have to admit we all thought we were going to die in a blaze of fiery shockwaves. After a few minutes it started to subside but can't believe how scary the whole thing was. No confirmed reports yet but they think the meteor (or what was left of it which wasn't burnt up in the atmosphere) might have landed near Polokwane which is only a couple of hours from where we are. How cool is that!!! How many people can say they saw a huge meteor streak across the sky directly overhead?! Was like something from a disaster movie!!!

Via Email:

On Saturday evening on my way from the vaal I saw what I thought was the meteor fall and since there are issues of distances, I can not be sure how far it was from me. Just in case it has not been found I suggest that we look at where I thought it hit. I was taking the R59 southern bypass from vaal into N12 North, just before I joined the circle I saw it hit the ground behind the hill. I may have been incorrect with the distance but I saw the fall as it hit the ground.

regards,
Mac

Via Email:

I live close to Alldays, Limpopo, on the pontdrift rd about 35 km from Botswana.

We saw the flash or light at about 11.20 pm and about 3-4 min after we heard the biggest explosion to the north, the roof and the windows of the house rattled and a friend closer to Botswana said the shock even shook his front door open.

I think it landed in Botswana or Zimbabwe, it was a really big explosion and carried on for about 3-4 sec - Daan van Helsdingen

My wife and I were in Hermanus on 21 November and admiring the stars at around 10pm but not sure of the exact time (it was late). We saw this incredibly bright meteor with a trail extending quite far behind it. It was absoltely spectacular as we have never seen something so vivid in color and so unique.

Fantastic to witness on such a clear and wind-free eveing.

Reading all the comments gives you a feeling how some of the witnesses felt. Interesting are differing observations about the explosion AND a shockwave and the time difference between explosion and shockwave. What we would need to know are the angle of entry, the bodies exact course through the atmospere and the altitude the explosion (s) took place.

said...

Cause the conclusion seems to be obvious and would be dramatic in its implications , first steps in investigating this "phenomenon" should be to rule out definitely:

Fake video.
Camera defect
Reflections
Natural reflections in the atmosphere
Youtube mistake,  etc.


                                                            

Hi Chandre,
thank you,

had not noticed this kind of coincidence. You`re right. We have to assume the  possibility.
A swarm of meteorites , crossing earths orbit each year, like the Leonides, is one thing, but a swarm of "sporadic  asteroids"  ? Swarm and sporadic seem to be  contrary terms.

 "They" use "sporadic" in the sense of "irregular orbit"  to explain their unpredicted sudden occurence. If people would be aware , - not just know , - if they would be aware, what satellites are doing 24 hours a day, what their technological capabilities are, these  people would not believe one single word of the explanations, that are given to them.  Remember what they told us about the Iridium incident. Incredible b......t!  

A short  story:
              
                    OFFICIAL STATEMENT.

Major Tom says : "No, we are not be able to localize other satellites  or meteors or sporadic asteroids smaller than a bus in space."
 
"No, no,  to assume we are be able to detect and monitore  single pieces just an inch big, day and night,  whereever they orbit  earth,  is not correct."

"Yes, yes we have to hide our technical capabilities to give no hints to the enemy."

"No, no it is not true, that our enemies  are in the possesion of the same technological skills as we are, look at Russia for example. They even have no space shuttle."

"No no, it is not true that we supervise the inner solar system in a way that no mouse can move unseen."

No , no it is impossible for us to take a foto of your wris****ch from 90 miles above through the clouds... What did you say  ?  In a resolution  that allows to read the time ? Stop talking such nonsense."

"No, No, No , we wish we could do all these things, but it is impossible yet.  But possible in some far future. ..... By the way, to do all these things  we need some more  trillions please...."  And so on and so on....
                         NO END, NO END.

Ps: An alternative to a "sporacdic asteroid" would be, that we have seen star war debris, big chunks of destroyed spaceships, entering our atmosphere in a way, that this was impossible to hide completely. Just accidents...
Hope I am wrong.
 

Key words from Addendum:

"...was not a leonide meteor....a sporadic asteroid.... exploded in the atmosphere.....6 hours later.....a twisting irisdecent –blue cloud...debris from fireball should have dissipated by that time, but the cloud remains unexplained;we cannot yet rule out a connection to the fireball event."

Why would I like to have a look at the emission spectrum ?

I would like to have a look at the emission spectrum to rule out the possibility we have seen some star wars debris coming down instead of a "sporadic asteroid", whatever that means.