11:58:00 PM

Bay Area CA Meteor Fireball 21OCT2011

Email From:
Garlyn H.-San Mateo, CA (near the College of San Mateo)
I was sitting in the backyard reading a book by red headlamp when a white/blue light flashed across the sky (apparently from a SE to NW direction). I had enough time to think "Oooh lig... [lightning] " when a sound like a big explosion occurred. Family in the house heard the noise, as well as across the street neighbor and his son who was in his vehicle exiting highway 92 at West Hillsdale exit.
Looking in southernly direction afterward was unable to see anything suspicious or alarming. No fires. No areas of blackouts. Air traffic into SFO continued and appeared uninterrupted ( NE of my location)
Regarding time & date of event:
I sent myself a text on 10/21/2011 at 2123 stating " flash & explosion. 2 min ago?"
Hope this helps.

9:04:00 PM

*****ALERT TO ALL ELPALLSKY READERS 21OCT2011*****

FIREBALLS IN THE SKY OVER EL PASO, TX
*****ALERT TO ALL ELPALLSKY READERS*****
There have been a large number of inquiries and e-mails to ELPALLSKY regarding fireballs over El Paso, Texas tonight. Since this is where ELPALLSKY is based, I can report that the "Amigo Airshow" is happening here this weekend, and that the fireballs observed at around 7:30pm MDT this evening were, in fact, The U.S. Army Golden Knights Night Skydiving Team performing arial jumps with flares, producing the "fireball" effect observed by so many. So there you have it...no meteor fireballs (as yet) this evening...just a great light show. Please pass this information along as I will not post any of the reports regarding this. Thanks for referencing ELPALLSKY for your fireball information and if you DO see a real meteor fireball, I hope you will send your accounts to wxtx01@gmail.com. Thank you!!!

3:08:00 PM

Weekend Meteor Shower And ROSAT Orbital Decay Update 21OCT2011

click on image above to view the IMO Live Count during the Orionid Meteor Shower

ORIONID METEOR SHOWER THIS WEEKEND !!!

 Oct. 20, 2011: Earth is about to pass through a stream of debris from Halley's comet, source of the annual Orionid meteor shower.  Forecasters expect more than 15 meteors per hour to fly across the sky on Saturday morning, Oct. 22nd, when the shower peaks.
"Although this isn't the biggest meteor shower of the year, it's definitely worth waking up for," says Bill Cooke of the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office. "The setting is dynamite."
Orionids are framed by some of the brightest and most beautiful constellations in the night sky. The meteors emerge from mighty Orion, the shower's glittering namesake.  From there they streak through Taurus the Bull, the twins of Gemini, Leo the Lion, and Canis Major--home to Sirius, the most brilliant star of all.
This year, the Moon and Mars are part of the show.  They'll form two vertices of a celestial triangle in the eastern sky on Saturday morning while the shower is most active; Regulus is the third vertex.  Blue Regulus and red Mars are both approximately of 1st magnitude, so they are easy to see alongside the 35% crescent Moon.  Many Orionids will be diving through the triangle in the hours before dawn.
Cooke's team at the Meteoroid Environment Office will be watching for Orionids that actually hit the Moon.
Cometary debris streams like Halley's are so wide, the whole Earth-Moon system fits inside. So when there is a meteor shower on Earth, there's usually one on the Moon, too.  Unlike Earth, however, the Moon has no atmosphere to intercept meteoroids.  Pieces of debris fall all the way to the surface and explode where they hit.  Flashes of light caused by thermal heating of lunar rocks and moondust are so bright, they can sometimes be seen through backyard-class telescopes.


A map of the morning sky on Saturday, Oct. 22nd at 5:30 a.m. local time, viewed facing southeast. CLICK HERE to view a larger, more complete map.

"Since we began our monitoring program in 2005, our group has detected more than 250 lunar meteors," says Cooke. "Some explode with energies exceeding hundreds of pounds of TNT."
So far, they've seen 15 Orionids hitting the Moon--"two in 2007, four in 2008, and nine in 2009," recalls Cooke.  This year they hope to add to the haul.  About 25% of the Moon's dark terrain will be exposed to Halley's debris stream, giving the team millions of square miles to scan for explosions.
Watching meteoroids hit the Moon is a good way to learn about the structure of comet debris streams and the energy of the particles therein.  It also allows Cooke and colleagues to calculate risk factors for astronauts who, someday, will walk on the lunar surface again.
"Going outside to watch the Orionids might not be a good idea for a moonwalker," says Cooke.
But it is a good idea for the rest of us.  Set your alarm for a few hours before dawn on Saturday morning and enjoy the show.

Author: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
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CLICK HERE To Check For ROSAT and Other Satellite Fly-overs Coming To Your Sky

Doomed German Satellite to Fall to Earth This Weekend


Upcoming Reentry – ROSAT

Type: ROSAT Satellite
Int’l Designation: 1990 049A
Launched: 01 JUN 1990 @ 21:48 UTC
Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station LC-17A
Mission: Röntgen X-ray observatory

Reentry Prediction:

Predicted Reentry Time: 23 OCT 2011 @ 13:24 UTC ± 16 hours
Prediction Epoch: 20 OCT 2011 @ 19:36:13.233 UTC
Prediction Ground Track:

(To calculate the time conversion from UTC in your location, view the time zone chart).



For clarity, ground track plot is limited to ± 6 hours
Legend
Yellow Icon – location of object at predicted reentry time
Orange Line – area of visibility at the predicted reentry time for a ground observer
Blue Line – ground track uncertainty prior to predicted reentry time (ticks at 5-minute intervals)
Yellow Line – ground track uncertainty after predicted reentry time (ticks at 5-minute intervals)
White Line – day/night divider at predicted reentry time (Sun location shown by White Icon)
Note: Possible reentry locations lie anywhere along the blue and yellow ground track.

About Reentry Predictions

CORDS provides predicted reentry times for satellites and substantial space hardware such as launch stages and payload platforms. The focus is on objects which are reentering as a result of natural orbit decay, not objects which are intentionally deorbited.
Prediction reentry times and locations are updated daily within the final five days of orbit life.
The information provided for each reentry includes a map showing the ground track of the object. The ground track highlights the location along the earth’s surface where the reentry is expected to occur and where a ground-based observer might see the object as it breaks apart because of atmospheric heating and loads.
This map is created by locating the vehicle in orbit at the predicted reentry time and extending the ground track forward and backward in time, consistent with the estimated error in the prediction. The map indicates the final reentry location as reported by eyewitness sightings, when available.
It should be noted that, in general, reentry predictions can be expected to be in error by 10% or more; thus, there is substantial uncertainty as to where reentry will actually occur. Once it does occur, debris will spread over a long track on the ground.
Hazard to people or property from reentering space hardware is very limited. No known reports of death from such events have ever been received.

NOTICE: The materials about Reentry Predictions are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for specific technical advice or opinions related to your particular facts and circumstances.

3:19:00 AM

Colorado Meteor Fireball 20OCT2011

Email From:
YYY-North Of Denver, CO:

Hello,
I was taking a walk with my headphones on Wednesday 19th at about 10:10pm and at the top of a hill going downhill going east at about 10PM Denver time. I just happened to notice something big out of the corner of my eye an looked up at it. I reached for my phone to take a pic, but I didn't have it with me. Here's what I saw:
It was coming from the ENE heading WSW and I couldn't tell how high it was as I only had about 6 -8 seconds to look at it. It was bright orange and yellow by the 'tail" but this was like the size of 100 airplanes if it was as I think, about a few miles in the air. This thing was HUGE HUGE HUGE and it just looked like a huge boulder going through the sky. I went WSW right over me and then after about 7 seconds disappeared. I could see that it didn't go over the horizon or get behind any mountains, as it was higher than that when I lost sight of it. When I first saw it I would say it was at about 60degrees above the East horizon.
I wish I had taken out my earplugs so I could see if I heard it overhead, but I don't put the volume up very high as it's really quiet where I live and don't need to, so I don't think I would have heard anything. That would have given me some judgment on size if I would have heard it. I did hold my pointer finger up to it and it was about 1/2 the first digit. IT WAS HUGE AND moved way faster than any plane could.
Why I say that it was about 10pm was that I called my wife *out of town* after I got home and I figure it took me about 20 minutes to get home and I called her at 10:38 denver time to tell her what I saw. I didn't call her right away, maybe 10 minutes after I got home or so.
I remember thinking to myself after it was done, wow… what would the caveman have thought of something like that. It was awesome!!!!! Never seen anything so bright colorful or HUGE in my life.
If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. I'm glad other people saw it. I was wondering, as I live about 20miles from DIA, would it have been on their screens? It just didn't seem to be that high in the air…at least not 40k feet…but I really couldn't tell you. IF it was that high..this thing was like the size of hundreds of airplanes.
Regards,Still awestruck     thanks YYY!

3:14:00 AM

Possible Northern California Meteor Fireball Reported To ELPALLSKY
Email From:
Dianna L.-Oroville, CA:
At 9:18pm on oct 20 2011 I saw a large round ball with a white tail fall from the sky.  The tail stayed bright for about 30 seconds after the ball disappeared.  It was to large for a falling star but reminded me of that.     thank you Dianna!

***If you are searching for information about this fireball and/or witnessed it, please leave a report of what you saw at wxtx01@gmail.com Please include the date and time, the direction you were facing/driving, the direction in which the object moved (upper left to lower right etc.) approximate size and brightness compared to a full moon, color, any flashes, streaks, fragmentation and any sounds or delayed sounds such as sonic booms, hisses, sizzles etc. Thank you! Your information is vital to research/recovery efforts so please take time to report.***

3:06:00 AM

Connecticut, New Jersey Meteor Fireball Reported To ELPALLSKY

Email Notification From:
Leslie J.-Old Saybrook CT-7:50 P.M. EDT 20OCT2011
thank you Leslie!

Email From:
Anna V.-Linden, NJ:
I was sitting at the Grill in Linden NJ eating at about 9:30 pm 10/20/2011. I was looking out the window facing I believe south/ south east. I saw a bright big greenish glow coming down between a gas station and a restaurant across the street. My first thought was a plane or helicopter was gonna crash but it dissapeared so quick. I ran out to see if I could hear any noise and i realized it must have been a meteor?? It just seemed so close.     thanks for your confirmation on this event Anna


***If you are searching for information about this fireball and/or witnessed it, please leave a report of what you saw at wxtx01@gmail.com Please include the date and time, the direction you were facing/driving, the direction in which the object moved (upper left to lower right etc.) approximate size and brightness compared to a full moon, color, any flashes, streaks, fragmentation and any sounds or delayed sounds such as sonic booms, hisses, sizzles etc. Thank you! Your information is vital to research/recovery efforts so please take time to report.***