http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/4788567p-4731415c.html
Meteor seen in Mat-Su sky BLUISH FIREBALL: Witnesses say burn lasted six or seven seconds. By DOUG O'HARRA Anchorage Daily News February 27, 2004 A meteor streaked across the skies over the Susitna River Valley on Tuesday night, producing a bluish fireball seen by people in Homer and Anchorage, according to the National Weather Service. Two witnesses reported seeing the burn last for six or seven seconds about 10:20 p.m., said meteorologist Dave Vonderheide. "It was unusually bright," he said. Based on their reports, Vonderheide estimated that the object entered Earth's atmosphere somewhere over Montana Creek and moved southwest toward Skwentna before fading from sight. Most meteors are small rocks or grains from space that hurtle into the upper atmosphere 50 to 60 miles above the surface at extraordinary speeds, sometimes more than 100,000 mph. "Globally on any 24-hour night, there's probably several of these (large) fireballs because there's a lot of stuff out there in space," Vonder-heide said. "There's just a lot of rock out there. ... I see two to three of these a year." Thousands of meteors burn up over Earth each day, most above oceans or uninhabited areas or during daylight when they can't be seen, according to a Web site maintained by the American Meteor Society. The color comes from the meteor's composition and velocity as it heats up and disintegrates. Magnesium generates blue-white light, and so do meteors that are streaking especially fast. The superheating of atmospheric gases around the object can also influence the color. Tracking down meteors for excited observers is all part of answering the phone at the local weather service office, Vonderheide said. "Do you know that the word 'meteorology' has the word 'meteor' in it? And the Latin 'meteor' means 'something in the air.' " ______________________________________________ Meteorite-list mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
