4:42:00 PM

UPDATE...Canada Fireball Bolide Video Captured By Sandia Sentinel Camera - College Of The Rockies, Cranbrook BC, Canada...


Reported Sightings
(c) 2011 Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News and Google Earth


Written by Rick Nowell
Sunday, 15 May 2011 10:07

The dark night sky of Cranbrook was lit up like daylight early Saturday morning at 2:17am (Mountain Daylight Time) when a huge meteor rocketed overhead. Appearing as a dim dot at first, likely 100km high to the North, it rapidly grew into a big white ball as big as the moon, with a tail behind it.

 Fireball First Appearance<http://www.bcmeteors.net/images/stories/COTR/j20110514_081741_000.jpg
>

Fireballs First Appearance from High

It flared into brilliance, lighting up the whole sky and layers of white clouds to the Southwestern horizon. Within four seconds the flare sank as it moved a bit South of West, sinking down into the clouds, towards the setting Moon and Creston and Spokane way. It headed in a direction of about 230 degrees. Then a dull rumble of thunder sonic boom followed after it since it was going at supersonic speeds.

 Fireball with Tail<http://www.bcmeteors.net/images/stories/COTR/fireball_14may.jpg
>

Fireball Develops Tail, Passes Over Cranbrook

Reports are coming in from across Southwestern Alberta, Southeastern BC, Idaho, and Washington. People have seen it along a broad strip from Calgary, Bowden, Red Deer, Cranbrook, Spokane, Coeur d"Alene, Nelson, Kamloops, Penticton and Kelowna, Most describe an intense greenish white ball of light, hitting somewhere around Kelowna. Ed Majden found these reports at http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com/2011/05/montana-washington-idaho-alberta.html


At Cranbrook, the College of the Rockies Meteor camera imaged it for 9 seconds as it went overhead. The camera has a wide-angle fisheye lens, so be aware the video frames above show the entire sky, with the horizon as a ring around the edge. North is at the 3 o'clock position, East at 12 o'clock. The streetlights of Cranbrook are along the bottom right, you can see two tall trees at 10 o'clock lit up from the College parking lot. The Sentinel camera is black and white (for best starlight sensitivity) so these orange colours are false. We can't verify the green tint people reported. (I can verify the thunder, since I heard that too, after the flash. I thought it was a distant thunder storm...)

Dave Balam from the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory says "I've searched the DAO images from last night and we were completely overcast. Too bad....that's a classic bollide and could have dropped a few stones."

Dr Ken Tapping from the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Penticton says: "I think I got it too, although my time is a little different. 2011May14 at 08:19:00 UT. In EastNorthEast, heading SouthEast, just above the ENE edge of my camera field, and rapidly leaving it. Broadening and brightening rapidly, but I did not get the really bright stuff. That is one heck of a video."

http://www.bcmeteors.net/component/content/article/1-latest-news/123-rick-nowell.html


Copyright © 2011 The British Columbia Meteor Network. All Rights Reserved.
thanks to Rick Nowell at College Of The Rockies, Cranbrook BC, Canada

3:30:00 PM

UPDATE...Edmond OK Multiple Meteor Fireballs 14MAY2011 Source Revealed...

Emails From:

Ashley In Edmond OK:
HI,  My family and I and watched something in the sky last night at approx 9:30 pm last night. We saw a total of 7 fireballs. 2 first which seems like they paralleled each other then one single fireball. Then 3 more (which we have on video)  followed by one more. Each lasted approx 30-45 seconds and seemed to be orange- yellow color with a definite bright red on the top. I live in Edmond, Oklahoma and they falling/ flying from northeast to south west. I'm very interested in finding out what exactly these objects were. THANKS for any insight you can provide.

Ashley, seems we've discovered the source of your fireballs...

From Linda In Edmond OK:
Hi Ashley,
Do you live in Settlers Crossing or Southerly Farms neighborhoods?  I believe what you saw was my daughter's 14th birthday celebration launch of Chinese Sky Lanterns. 
Search YouTube for video and see if this is perhaps looks like what you saw. Date and time of sighting fit with our launch.  There were 11 of them, green, orange, pink purple, yellow and blue.
Linda   

thank you for coming forward Linda. Congrats to your daughter! Ashley, you can sleep now.


3:24:00 PM

First Of 2 Tucson AZ Fireballs 14MAY2011

Emails From:

Steve, Lisa & Jenna G.-Tucson AZ:
Wanted to let you know Lisa, Jenna and myself witnessed the “Tucson Fireball” night before last. We were out walking at dusk and saw a bright flash out of the corner of our eyes.  In the northern sky at about 30 degrees we saw a meteor that lasted approximately 4 to 5 seconds and broke into two distinct pieces as the flames diminished.  The path seemed to be towards the southeast.  I would call it a brilliant white with a bit of blue to it.  We did not observe any sounds.  I opened my phone and recorded the time to be exactly 2000hrs mountain standard time.  A very punctual rock.   thank you Steve, Lisa and Jenna...fine example of a good fireball report!

Rosella T. In Tucson AZ:
Hi.  It was Saturday night around 8 pm on May 14, 2011 that I was out on my north facing balcony here in Tucson, AZ, when I saw a huge fireball.  It seemed to be very close and about the size of a compact car.  It was bright yellow and it seemed to have a red ring in between the ball and its long tail.  It was going horizontally from west to east and was not high up in the sky.  I saw it clearly because it was not going extremely fast.  It got lost behind trees and I turned to look at the moon and it seemed that this fireball was a lot closer in proximity than the moon.  What was this fireball?? 

From The Chatbox:

Jamie (guest): My husband and I both saw what looked like a meteor/fireball last night. We were in the center of the Tempe campus of ASU and were looking up and to the east. It looked so huge that my husband commented that it looked like it could have landed in Apache Junction. It was almost exactly at 8pm when we saw it.

1:38:00 AM

AZ Meteor Fireball 14MAY2011 Captured By ELPALLSKY And Mexico Sentinel All Sky Cameras

Numerous Emails & Internet Inquiries Indicate Fireball Event In Arizona 14MAY2011...Captured By Sandia Sentinel Camera (ELPALLSKY) EL PASO, TX And Hermosillo Mexico  05:55:13 UTC 15MAY2011 (11:55:13 p.m. MDT 14MAY2011-10:55:13 p.m. MST)

Observation From John G. In Tucson, AZ:
Copy of a fireball report sent 05/15/11 4:03 PM to
International Meteor Organization (IMO)
Fireball Report Form
http://www.imo.net/fireball/report

Date, Time and Location:
Date : 2011 May 14
Time: : 22:55:00 MST
Location : Tucson AZ USA Pima county
Longitude: 110° 49' 20.64" West
Latitude : 32° 8' 11.76" North
 
Fireball Parameters:
Apparent path earth-based coordinates
Beginning point elevation: 40°
Beginning point azimuth : 290°
Ending point elevation : 30°
Ending point azimuth : 340°

Description:
Comparison with brightness of full moon: Brighter than full moon
Duration:: 3 seconds
Color(s): white only
Trail: yes
Fragmentation: no
Persistent Train: yes
Angular Velocity: Scale medium
Sound: None
Shower: unknown

Observer:
Observer's name: John G.
Address: On File
e-mail: On File

Comments:
Naked eye observation
Two observers, ages 57 and 12.
I am an amature astronomer.
No cloud cover at time of observation.
City lights.
Observers had been outside for 1/2 hour so our vision was dark adapted.

Apparant diameter of fireball:
Start: bright Venus
End : 3/4 diameter of full moon

At the time the observation was made the moon was visible, with parameters
(from Sky View Café set to my coordinates)
Azimuth : 14° 14' 12''
Altitude: 42° 38' 56''
Magnitude: -12.0
Illuminated fraction: 92.9%
Angular diameter: 33.39'

As the moon was visible at the time of my observation,
I have confidence in brightness and size comparisons relative to full moon. 
                Thanks for sharing this report John!


E-mails From:


popealexander93 In El Paso TX:
On May 14, 2011 I say a fireball in El Paso Texas. I was facing west between 11:45pm and 12:00am when i looked up and say a bright red fireball streak across the sky and go behind the franklin mountains. I didn't hear any noise and the fireball was pretty large in size. I don't know if it was a comet, meteor,  or what? Can you validate what i say? Contact me with any questions on what i saw.
Andrea P. In Tucson, AZ:
Hi I was at a party last night in downtown Tucson, Arizona when I saw the fireball (maybe 10:30 or 11?)  I worked teaching astronomy for years in very dark skies (compared to urban Tucson at near full moon!)  but I have NEVER seen anything so spectacular. I saw it in the eastern sky, moving from south to north.At first it was white light, getting brighter and brighter and leaving a trail, but then it burst into multi-colored light and several pieces (10?), each of which burned in twinkling colors.  It was SO bright! most people at the party thought it was some sort of firework a neighbor had set off. (you were looking for descriptions for elp allsky, right?)
no pics, sadly!
Andrea
Internet Inquiries:

Phoenix, Arizona arrived from google.com on "elp allsky" by searching for shooting star seen in arizona may 14 2011.
00:56:39 -- 35 minutes ago

Marana, Arizona arrived from google.com on "elp allsky: Jan 14, 2011" by searching for meteorite may 14, 2011 tucson.
00:19:17 -- 1 hour 13 mins ago

Mesa, Arizona arrived from google.com on "elp allsky: "Large Fragmenting Meteor Fireball 8:48pm MST Phoenix AZ 08APR2011"...NOT A FIREBALL AT ALL!" by searching for meteor near phoenix.
00:02:43 -- 1 hour 30 mins ago

Event Captured By ELPALLSKY:

image courtesy Sandia Sentinel Fireball Camera-El Paso, TX


Event co-captured by Dr. Salvador Aguirre-Sandia Sentinel All Sky Camera-Hermosillo, Sonora Mexico


***We need visuals on this event! If you saw this fireball, please email wxtx01@gmail.com with details of your sighting. Thank you!***