'There are a lot of ghosts on the internet.'
Hi Sterling,
Yes, but it would be nicer to find a Friendly Ghost, like tis one
(Thuathe):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2911269.stm
Best wishes,
Doug
Meteor caused Lesotho 'poltergeist'
By David Ambrose
BBC Focus On Africa magazine
Some 400 mystery rocks were collected. An outbreak of ghost activity
that struck Lesotho last year has been found to have been the result of
a spectacular meteor shower.
On 21 July, a loud noise in the sky was heard over most of the country.
Then in the village of Boqate Ha Sofonia, objects began to fall on the
roofs of houses.
'Malino Mantsoe, one of the village residents, saw a large stone smash
into the low-walled cooking area in front of her house, before knocking
over and cracking a plastic container.
She blamed a "thokolosi" - a poltergeist - and sprinkled holy water
around her house and on the stone. No more stones fell.
'Matukule Khoeletsana, another resident, also had stones bounce on her
roof - and kept them to prove it was no bad dream.
Investigation
Now the cause of the mystery rocks has been found to have been a
meteorite.
A rock weighing perhaps a tonne, which had been circling the sun for
4,600 million years, had finally intercepted another body in the solar
system - the Earth.
It arrived at perhaps 50 to 100 times the speed of sound, and hitting
the atmosphere at this speed, exploded into thousands of pieces which
had fallen to earth over nine different villages.
A team from the National University of Lesotho went to investigate, and
with the help of schoolchildren and local residents collected over 400
different stones ranging from just a few grams to over a kilogram.
There were a number of champion collectors, including a well-known
local youth nicknamed Ramanaka, or "Father of Horns", because of his
head-dress decorated with horns and a portrait of Nelson Mandela.
The Thuathe meteorite, as it has been christened, has ensured that
Lesotho will now have a place in the science of meteoritics.
A full version of this article appears in the new edition of the Focus
on Africa magazine..
BBC Focus On Africa magazine
that must be a ghost... you are following, I think.
There are a lot of ghosts on the internet.
Sterling K. Webb
---------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 8:49 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Fwd: 17:15 UT slow,bright Mediterranean
bolide
Hi Sterling, listees,
I believe Rob has suggested that this rocket part (3rd booster stage)
has re-entered in the reported event, so that must be a ghost on the
on-line satellite tracking program you are following, I think. The
satellite itself is probably quite operational at the moment. Anyway,
let me take this opportunity to correct the time of the event today
July 8 2008 from incorectly 5:15 UT to corectly 17:15 UT. Just a
little excitement as I was hearing about this...
Best wishes,
Doug
still can't believe how fast Rob got that one ...
-----Original Message-----
From: Sterling K. Webb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Rob Matson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[email protected]
Sent: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 7:41 pm
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Fwd: 5:15 UT slow, bright Mediterranean
bolide
Hi, List,
You can watch it in realtime position at:
http://www.n2yo.com/?s=31602
So, why was it leaving a luminous trail:
"a bright object that left a long trail"? Hmmm.
Answering my own question, it is listed as
one of "satellites with periodically varying
brightness." It must have "flashed."
Sterling K. Webb
----------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 7:15 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Fwd: 5:15 UT slow, bright Mediterranean bolide
Hi List, Rob, and everyone who held their breath on this one,
Please read the other half of the story - from none other than our
favorite satellite and comet bagger, Rob Matson !!!
Best wishes and better luck next time:(
Doug
PS God help us if Rob ever defects ... thanks again and I trust it was
good work!
===========================
Hi Doug,
Please feel free to forward this to the Meteorite list for me...
I just did a quick check on this, suspecting it might be a satellite
re-entry. ... it was travelling east-to-west!", let me add that it was
actually ~because~ it was travelling east to west AND passing over
Israel that a lightbulb went off in my head. Israeli satellites are
always launched in retrograde orbits, and I thought it would be an
amusing case of karma if this turned out to be one of their own.
Well, in short, it was:
Shavit R/B, USSPACECOM #31602, launched some time in 2007.
I just plotted its trajectory as seen from Jerusalem, and bingo.
--Rob
______________________________________________
http://www.meteoritecentral.com
Meteorite-list mailing list
[email protected]
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
______________________________________________
http://www.meteoritecentral.com
Meteorite-list mailing list
[email protected]
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
-----Original Message-----
From: Sterling K. Webb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 9:02 pm
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Fwd: 17:15 UT slow,bright Mediterranean
bolide
that must be a ghost... you are following, I think.
There are a lot of ghosts on the internet.
Sterling K. Webb
---------------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 8:49 PM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Fwd: 17:15 UT slow,bright Mediterranean
bolide
Hi Sterling, listees,
I believe Rob has suggested that this rocket part (3rd booster stage)
has re-entered in the reported event, so that must be a ghost on the
on-line satellite tracking program you are following, I think. The
satellite itself is probably quite operational at the moment. Anyway,
let me take this opportunity to correct the time of the event today
July 8 2008 from incorectly 5:15 UT to corectly 17:15 UT. Just a
little excitement as I was hearing about this...
Best wishes,
Doug
still can't believe how fast Rob got that one ...
-----Original Message-----
From: Sterling K. Webb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Rob Matson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; [EMAIL PROTECTED];
[email protected]
Sent: Tue, 8 Jul 2008 7:41 pm
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Fwd: 5:15 UT slow, bright Mediterranean
bolide
Hi, List,
You can watch it in realtime position at:
http://www.n2yo.com/?s=31602
So, why was it leaving a luminous trail:
"a bright object that left a long trail"? Hmmm.
Answering my own question, it is listed as
one of "satellites with periodically varying
brightness." It must have "flashed."
Sterling K. Webb
----------------------------------------------------------
----- Original Message -----
From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 7:15 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Fwd: 5:15 UT slow, bright Mediterranean bolide
Hi List, Rob, and everyone who held their breath on this one,
Please read the other half of the story - from none other than our
favorite satellite and comet bagger, Rob Matson !!!
Best wishes and better luck next time:(
Doug
PS God help us if Rob ever defects ... thanks again and I trust it was
good work!
===========================
Hi Doug,
Please feel free to forward this to the Meteorite list for me...
I just did a quick check on this, suspecting it might be a satellite
re-entry. ... it was travelling east-to-west!", let me add that it was
actually ~because~ it was travelling east to west AND passing over
Israel that a lightbulb went off in my head. Israeli satellites are
always launched in retrograde orbits, and I thought it would be an
amusing case of karma if this turned out to be one of their own.
Well, in short, it was:
Shavit R/B, USSPACECOM #31602, launched some time in 2007.
I just plotted its trajectory as seen from Jerusalem, and bingo.
--Rob
______________________________________________
http://www.meteoritecentral.com
Meteorite-list mailing list
[email protected]
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
______________________________________________
http://www.meteoritecentral.com
Meteorite-list mailing list
[email protected]
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
______________________________________________
http://www.meteoritecentral.com
Meteorite-list mailing list
[email protected]
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
