[meteorite-list] Google Earth Kmz file for July 6 Fireball PA Version 2 available

From: Mr EMan <mstreman53_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 8 Jul 2009 19:05:50 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <131355.73684.qm_at_web55205.mail.re4.yahoo.com>

The "plotting" thickens....

I have finished plotting the bearings from the fireball reports where bearings noted including correcting transcription typos. So witness locations have azimuth legs projected over the ground and one can see where they tend to overlap. In Google Earth you can turn off the lines you wish by deselecting the box by the file name. Track names in this case correspond to the AMS log for event 371 a,b,c,and so on to t.

We now have a well documented photo through a telescope in Freeland, MD thanks to Mike Hankey which can be viewed at <http://www.mikesastrophotos.com/> who happened to be taking a timed exposure of known objects. The derived Az and El for the track of the fireball from this location is AZ 73?, AL 63??, and had a bearing toward the east-northeast horizon courtesy of Kelly Beatty at Sky and Telescope(TM). We also await the specifics from a security camera in York, Pa in order to generate another precise azimuth.

Some reports still do not fit the over all data and frankly there are information snipets a float which give credence for up to 4 different trajectories/ground tracks. One which is emerging as the new leader is one which carried the fireball towards York, PA but we still can't make a statement if the it passed East, West or Over York. That is to say that it is looking less likely that there was a direct East to West trajectory parallel to the PA/MD State Line and ending over Maryland as I previously estimated.

Someone will announce when they have been uploaded to a website or if you need it tonight email me off list.

Again this is a collection of reports that have been graphically rendered to make them easier to evaluate. They were released to give a consolidated overlay on a map. I placed a straight edge along the margins and looked for possible tracks where reports agreed--That is where two adjacent witness locations agreed that the fireball passed between them.

A final note on understanding elevations. Generally the closer you are to a fireball's path the higher in the sky it will be. Those reports with low elevations tend to be at a much greater distance.

Regards,
Elton
Received on Wed 08 Jul 2009 10:05:50 PM PDT