[meteorite-list] Images of UK contrail (not fireball)

From: Martin <Martin_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:21 2004
Message-ID: <001801c389ed$051c48a0$8ad5e4d9_at_9y6y40j>

Hi,
I lived 20 years near to an airport too, jet contrails never end abrupt in
the sky. Tom is right.
And if the "fireball" would be a reflection shining upon the airplane, so
that it's not visible, at least the contrail would be more sharply defined
and in most cases divided directely behind the airplane.
If I remeber right, the sonic boom of the Neuschwanstein fall was heard
quite a time after the light was extinguished and was a local event and not
heard through the phase of the fiery flying phase of the meteorid. So
perhaps, does anybody knows already the track?, it happened over the Sea.
People's observations? - well our civilisation is based on sitting 6 hours
per day in front of the TV, especially in the evening..... My thoughts, I go
back to watch TV... Martin A.


> Hello Rob and list, one question can it be a contrail, wouldn't the
> contrail continue out the other side? I still think it's a Scud missile
> fired by Iraq! : )
> Thanks, Tom
> Peregrineflier <><
> The proudest member of the IMCA 6168
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Matson, Robert <ROBERT.D.MATSON_at_saic.com>
> To: <meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> Cc: <marco.langbroek_at_wanadoo.nl>; 'Bj?rn S?rheim' <bsoerhei@online.no>
> Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 12:30 PM
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Images of UK contrail (not fireball)
>
>
> > Hi All,
> >
> > My turn to chime in on the Wales photos. First of all, it's great
> > that it's now photos PLURAL, since this rules out Photoshop mischief,
> > and it allows some degree of triangulation which can be used to
> > approximate altitude.
> >
> > I'm leaning toward backlit aircraft contrail for three reasons --
> > the first of which has been mentioned, but the other two have not:
> >
> > 1. No sonic boom. If this was a bolide, it should have produced
> > a whopper! Not a single report of a sonic boom.
> >
> > 2. Where are all the observers? This occurred near sunset -- an
> > optimum time for people to be outdoors in (evidently) nice weather.
> > If you think the contrail is impressive, consider what the brightness
> > of the bolide should have been to produce it -- we're talking at
> > least magnitude -20, probably considerably brighter. People don't
> > miss fast-moving second suns. How is it that witnesses would be
> > attentive enough to spot the contrail, yet inexplicably miss the
> > far more spectacular bolide that produced it just seconds or minutes
> > before?
> >
> > 3. Perhaps the best evidence is the nature of the contrail itself.
> > Because a bolide has a downward component, any contrail it produces
> > will also. Differential velocities of upper atmospheric winds versus
> > altitude will cause the contrail to corkscrew and scramble fairly
> > rapidly, much like the contrails we see from Vandenberg rocket
> > launches on the west coast. In contrast, jet contrails are at
> > relatively constant altitude, so while they, too, get blown by the
> > wind, all portions of the contrail are exposed to roughly the same
> > wind direction and velocity. The result is that jet contrails
> > keep their shape longer, merely getting "fuzzier" with time. The
> > minutes-later image of the Wales contrail doesn't show any evidence
> > of kinking/corkscrewing, and that perhaps is the strongest evidence
> > against it being of space origin.
> >
> > Best,
> > Rob
>
Received on Fri 03 Oct 2003 04:29:17 PM PDT