Posted on 11/16/2018 7:32:35 AM PST by BenLurkin
A meteor so bright it stunned Central Texans who witnessed it at 9:22 p.m. Thursday. The streaking space debris was spotted across Texas and in adjacent states. A number of witnesses from western Travis County to Kyle in Hays County also reported a sonic boom, with some saying it rattled their windows.
Meteors that are brighter than planets in the night sky are called fireballs. This one clearly was, as some reported the entire sky lighting up as the green, light yellow and white object streaked across the Texas sky.
It may have been a piece of rock from an asteroid that has been orbiting the sun for millions of years. Or, a piece of space junk left by humans orbiting the earth. It likely was no bigger than a marble, but might have been as big as a basketball.
It also may have been a piece of the comet 55-P/Tempel-Tuttle. The earth moves through that debris field every year in mid-November, creating the well known Leonid meteor shower. This year's peak is midnight to dawn Saturday and Sunday
(Excerpt) Read more at kxan.com ...
Typical media ... can't pass up a chance to say that humans are the cause of something.
Um... that's not saying much. Planets are just slightly brighter than the brightest stars.
sky, BenLurkin wrote:
Make a wish
NO pix No Click
It was an alien spaceship.
They were returning to Texas to bring space cadet Robert O’Rourke back to his home planet.
Actually, Venus is holding on to -4.5 mag right now.
It’s WAY brighter than any star, planet, or the space station.
Only beaten by the Moon and the Sun.
I have seen a LOT of meteors, some very bright, but, only two that I can definitely say was brighter than Venus, one was as bright as the Moon.
If you are REALLY lucky, you might even hear them (but, I have never been that lucky).
I was on my lawn chair facing west while the other parent, a mom, was facing east. Suddenly, about 2:00am, the fireball streaked overhead, disappearing beyond the mountainside. It momentarily lit up the area - but I was the only one to see it since it apparently entered the atmosphere somewhere above my head, then took off in a westerly direction.
"Did someone just take a picture?" The mom asked. "No," I answered, "That was a fireball.
Saw one years ago. They are cool and they are fast.
I've seen a meteor in broad daylight. That was definitely brighter than the Moon.
My favorite meteors are those that leave a lingering luminous dust trail which last a few seconds. I’ve several of these gems.
Missed it by That much.
I would like/loathe to see one of those.
It would be spectacular, but, it could also be another Chelyabinsk!
But, then again, if the big was was gonna hit, I would probably be one of the folks standing out watching it.
Try this weekend!
The Leonids are peaking Saturday and Sunday mornings. The 1998-2000 events left LOTS of trails.
There is a substantial amount of orbital debris in orbit. Much of it is in decaying orbits, and is often spectacular when it reenters.
I’ll admit that I’ve often been disappointed in the meteor showers I’ll tried to catch. Being in a large metro area, the light pollution really cuts down on visibility. I’ll spend 30 minutes to actually see just one or two.
How many per hour is the Leonids suppose to offer? anything less than 50 to me is not worth my time.
I’ve seen one fireball in my life. I was driving in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico late at night when a green fireball streaked across the sky, about as bright as a full moon. It was spectacular.
You never can tell with the Leonids. In 1966 there were like 100 a minute! In 1998 it was 7 or 8 a minute, but, they were all bright green and left a trail.
1999 was 10 or 15 a minute but no green, though they did leave a trail.
Go figure!
Probably not worth the effort this year.
BUT, the Geminids are coming in December. They are quite spectacular, appear frequently, and, can be seen most of the night (no waiting until 4am for some shower members).
We use to live in the middle of Savannah, Ga. Not a big urban area, but, not that dark. It WAs dark enough that I saw plenty of Geminids. I’ve even seen brighter members while walking around the Hollywood Studios at Disney World.
It was just dark/bright enough for me to earn membership in the Urban Astronomy Club from the Astronomical League.
Of course. Wasn't denying that. Just noticed how the media likes to point out human involvement as if to point out how careless we are.
Paging Captain Tuttle, Captain Johnathan Tuttle Please report to Surgery.”
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